Reliance Foundation

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Aspirations, Access & Agency: Women transforming lives with technology

Alongside the green shoots of post-pandemic recovery, growth, and optimism, a silent revolution is underway — a digital India has emerged even as we battled COVID-19. Women are at the heart of this upsurge in the demand for information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Published by Reliance Foundation and Observer Research Foundation, Aspirations, Access & Agency, Women transforming lives with technology tells the stories of women leaders who have emerged as agents of technological change and socioeconomic inclusion by using technology to help their communities build better futures. Each story narrates a woman’s leadership journey and explores how she evolved as a digital enabler — banking the unbanked, connecting people to essential e-services, facilitating access to welfare schemes, promoting entrepreneurship, using tech to strengthen livelihoods, advocating for e-health, and much more. This compendium aims to raise awareness about these women’s exemplary work. It also seeks to demonstrate the transformational impact ICTs could have on communities and governance.

The lived experiences of these women show the importance of policy initiatives that support digital literacy and skilling, such as the National Digital Literacy Mission, the National Skill Development Mission, and the recently launched Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood. These women’s stories demonstrate how successful policy implementation and access to technology can drive change.