A stronger workforce needs more women: Kiran Bedi
By Swarnalata Behera
Bhubaneswar, March 22: Former IPS officer Dr Kiran Bedi has urged women workforce in the country to stay committed to learning, leading with empathy and connect with people by listening and understanding. She highlighted the importance of having a clear purpose in life, of showing up with integrity every single day, and of recognizing that the choices one makes at work ripple far beyond our immediate environment.
Addressing around 1,000 participants in a town hall meeting at Vedanta Aluminium’s Jharsuguda plant in Odisha on Saturday, Bedi shared her experience with the women workers and emphasised on inclusion of more women in the workforce. The first woman IPS officer of India also urged women to work with purpose, take ownership, and build a sense of belonging. She said that recognition will follow meaningful work.
“The nation needs more institutions that use resources responsibly and drive growth with purpose. Women must stay committed to learning, lead with empathy, and connect with people by listening and understanding before correcting. A stronger workforce needs more women, who bring a steady mindset, empathy, and the drive to deliver.”
The former Lt. Governor of Puducherry addressed over 1000 participants at a town hall meeting, and spent time with women entrepreneurs and professionals at the mega aluminium plant at Jharsuguda. She shared several insights from her decades of frontline public leadership, focusing on how supporting inclusivity and equity efforts could help unlock new avenues for transformation.
Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director, Vedanta Limited and Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc Limited, said that today, women make up over 23 per cent of Vedanta’s team and the company is the first entity in India to operate an all-women potline.
C Chandru, CEO, Vedanta Jharsuguda, said, “As the first aluminium plant in India to operate an all-women potline, and the first in Odisha to enable women to work night shifts, we are committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all our employees.”
Notably, Dr Bedi is not only India’s first woman IPS officer, she was also first woman appointed as UN Civilian Police Adviser, and is a former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. She is also a recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, bestowed in recognition of her remarkable efforts in establishing better policing practices and undertaking substantial prison reforms in India.
