Hauslon ki Kahaani | Women Empowerment Stories from ITC

On International Women’s Day, ITC celebrates the transformative role women have played in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future. This year’s theme, ‘Give To Gain’, resonates with ITC’s commitment to building a culture of equity and inclusion. Through enabling policies and an inclusive workplace environment, ITC continues to foster diversity and empower women to grow, lead and realise their potential. Beyond the workplace, the inspiring spirit of women in rural India continues to shape powerful stories of resilience and progress. With the Government of India providing a special thrust through the SHE-Mart Mission to transform rural women into enterprise-owners, further momentum is being created for initiatives such as ITC’s integrated rural development programmes that support women as entrepreneurs, community leaders and changemakers. Today, ITC’s social investment initiatives cover 6 million women across India. These efforts have facilitated the formation of 10,000+ self-help groups, bringing together more than 120,000 women members in more than 10 States. These platforms enable women to build sustainable livelihoods through participation in agri-business centres, nurseries, nano and micro-enterprises, and custom hiring centres, among several other value-creating activities. Women are also emerging as critical agents of community transformation. Many are serving as grassroots leaders in roles such as Yojana Sakhis, Pashu Sakhis, Krishi Sakhis, Village Health Champions, Mohalla Committee members, Water User Group members, and Vanikaran Sangha leaders, strengthening last-mile delivery of development outcomes. Further advancing women’s economic leadership, ITC has supported the creation of several women-led Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) while also ensuring women’s representation on the Boards of more than 2,100 FPOs that ITC engages with. This transformation demonstrates how empowerment, when nurtured with opportunity and confidence, can unlock extraordinary possibilities. Watch the short film to witness the inspiring journeys of rural women who are turning their aspirations into reality.