Mr. Partho Ghosh, Executive Director & Refinery Head, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., Mr. Rajesh  Verma, GM(M&C),Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Haldia Refinery, Mr. Gautam Ray, Chairperson, Energy and Environment Committee and Vice President, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Executive Director (HR & Admin.) - CESC Limited & President (HR) – Power Group, RPSG, Ms. Sucharita Basu ,Co-Chairperson, Socio Economic Initiative, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Partner, Aquilaw were present in the Opening Session. Mr. Arun Kumar Mukherjee, Mentor Energy and Environment Committee, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Director (Technical), Prerana Engineers & Consultants Pvt. Ltd chaired the session on  Women Entrepreneurs sharing their success stories. Ms. Nandini Chakravarty, Managing Director, Mineline Pvt Ltd, Ms. Vidya Amarnath, Director, Paterson Energy, Ms. Pauline Laravoire, Sustainability Director, Techno India Group, Founder, Y-East shared their success stories to inspire others to come forward. 

Mr. Partho Ghosh, Executive Director & Refinery Head, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. said, “Women’s participation in energy entrepreneurship has the potential to address several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the direct empowerment of women, thereby providing them avenues of higher income which is thought to increase investments in education and healthcare at the family level. It’s a known fact that Women’s empowerment plays a crucial role in economic development of society at large & country as a whole and also in tackling gender discrimination.”

Globally, women entrepreneurship is a tool of empowerment since it helps the entrepreneur take decisions, lead, manage and develop skills in production and even build personal leaderships. Currently, the contribution of Indian women to the GDP is merely 17% which is not only far below the global average of 37%, but is also much less than that of China (41%) and sub-Saharan Africa (39%). 

Therefore, lot is required to be done in our country to bridge this gender inequality in Entrepreneurship.

Mr. Rajesh Verma, GM(M&C),Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Haldia Refinery mentioned in speech that as per  Govt Policies to Nurture the Entrepreneurial spirit in the country. No need to Pay Tender fee, No requirement of submission of EMD for MSMEs. Haldia Refinery is gradually shifting procurement to GeM portal as per GOI directive. GeM is expected to encourage small businesses to do business with Govt /PSUs. All Women owned MSMEs / Service providers participating in the program must register on GeM portal. 

Mr. Gautam Ray, Chairperson, Energy and Environment Committee and Vice President, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Executive Director (HR & Admin.) - CESC Limited & President (HR) – Power Group, RPSG said “Policy-makers have expressed an increasing interest in expanding energy access through women’s entrepreneurship. Engaging women at all levels of clean energy value chains is thought to not only economically empower these women but also to have positive business outcomes. Many believe that women’s involvement in the clean energy industry will enable energy companies to produce products and services that are better targeted to female customers and help sell to female customers in hard-to-reach locations, which in turn will increase women’s access to energy. Moreover, engaging women as product designers, manufacturers, and sales agents is expected to contribute to their access to income. The Bengal Chamber will continue to works extensively in energy, environment, sustainability and related areas with its stakeholders to accelerate inclusion. 

Women’s economic empowerment is a route to poverty reduction and investing in women’s enterprises is a win-win solution for national governments. Women’s business success translates into reinvestment in families and communities, as women entrepreneurs are more likely to spend earnings on children’s education and health. As women entrepreneurs grow, they often take on leadership roles in their communities.