Need to uplift Women for safer tomorrow: Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka

Hyderabad: Dansari Anasuya Seethakka, Telangana Minister for Panchayat Raj & Rural Development, Rural Water supply, Women & Child welfare, has motivated all women professionals present at the conclave by mentioning always have an attitude that women can achieve anything and always depend upon hard work.

Addressing CII Indian Women Network’s annual Leadership Conclave in city, she said that women’s safety is one of the high priority areas for the State Government and added the recently T-Safe app was launched by the Chief Minister, developed by State police. She also said that workplaces need to be a safe space for women and the State Government is keen to closely work with industry to ensure this and there is absolute need to build a safer tomorrow by uplifting the women. She also mentioned that she is open to receiving suggestions on how safety can be bettered for women.

Dr BVR Mohan Reddy, Past chairman, CII Southern Region & Founder Chairman, Cyient reiterated that no family or society can prosper without the participation of women. “There is a need for each one of us to take up the enormous responsibility to ensure women participate actively in nation-building activity. Workplaces and workforce will change, requiring tremendous adaptability, including the active use of generative AI,” he added.

The new work environment will have no designated spaces, requiring us to schedule well ahead. Team-building is going to be different! Innovation and technology are going to play pivotal role in future. The industry needs to transform the workplaces through cultural shift, policies, practices and structures, employee resource groups (ERG) and training programs for continuous learning. Active listening capabilities and empathy are important for the future of leadership.

Emilia Smith, Public Diplomacy Officer, US Consulate-Hyderabad said that economic empowerment is not a destination but is the path to growth. Women are drivers of economic growth and the US consulate advocates that we cannot envision and build the world without the full and equal participation of women.

We need to mentor and lift-up the next generation- they will help you while you are helping them. We rise by lifting others. Women are disproportionately responsible for care. We need to support them with the infrastructure so that they can say yes to opportunities and be in a position to lead and propel us forward.

“If you want to see more participation of women at the workplace, look to the future. All of us working together will make this nation far different. POSH is reactive. We need to be proactive. All policies are written by men. Women have to be included at the policy-making level,” said Abhilasha Bisht, Director, Telangana State Police Academy.

Sai D Prasad, Chairman, CII Telangana appreciated the work of Indian Women Network Telangana in preparing recommendations for MSME Policy of Telangana. He also mentioned that there is a need to achieve gender parity at workplace. As a country we are evolving continuously. He advocated that Telangana’s cultural heritage and human capital play a key role in the development of the country and encouraged everyone to propagate the same to the rest of the world.

Shirin Salis, Chairperson, CII IWN Southern & Vice President- HR, Trane Technologies said that we need to adopt the “HER” approach! H is for Help. We, especially women try to be superhumans and shy away from asking for help! There is a need to create an inclusive environment and rise together. E is for Energy/Energize – It is important to look after your own health and wellbeing. Find what energizes you, your environment and others- whether it is a hobby, talking to a friend or family member, or just sitting quietly and reflecting. When you have made another person happy.. you also feel happier - that’s my take on uplifting oneself and others!

Gowri Kailasam, Deputy Chairperson, IWN Southern Region & President, Rane Madras Ltd. envisaged that there is a need to create an ecosystem where obstacles can be removed for women at work. In manufacturing there is a need for women-friendly machines. She also said that always ask what you would do for yourself and set higher goals. There is a need to create value for ourselves and the workplace.

Anupama Panduru, Chairperson, CII IWN Telangana said that gender balance and parity is aspirational and all organisations need to work towards achieving this. The MSME policy recommendations were championed by IWN- this is a testament to what IWN is doing. We need to continue our partnership with CII, so that women get a larger platform to communicate thoughts and actions across the country.

Hema Srinivas, spoke about the impact of Indian Women Network-that it is a community built on the principle of giving and growing together; The more we contribute the more we all flourish. She reiterated that at the conclave and at IWN, we engage in vital initiatives such as collaboration, inclusion, and the critical role of leadership in advancing women's careers. These conversations will equip us with the tools we need to uplift one another and foster environments where everyone can thrive.

Mamatha Madireddy, Managing Director, India GCC-HSBC said that prioritisation becomes very important in women’s career. She also said that always ask for what you want in life. She emphasised that we must celebrate intelligent mistakes and not repeat them.

Sita Pallacholla, CEO, We Hub briefed the participants on the support provided to the women entrepreneurs.

The conference was also addressed by Mr. Sanjeev Deshpande, EVP-APAC, MD- India, NTT Data Business Solutions, Rachna Tripathi, CEO, Huwel Lifesciences, Rao Thumallapalli, CEO, Seneca Global, and many more industry leaders. The program saw a participation of more than 300 professionals.