High Commissioner Highlights at IWD Event: India Has the Most Female Pilots in the World

India’s High Commissioner has emphasized international efforts to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment while applauding Nigerian women’s achievements.

India now boasts the most female pilots in the world, according to Ms. Vartika Rawat, the Acting India High Commissioner, who also stated that India’s assistance for women’s empowerment in Nigeria has created opportunities for women in the nation.

She made this revelation during her welcome address at an International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration held on Saturday at the Indian High Commission in Abuja.

“India has the most female pilots in the world,” she stated. 1,767 of the 11,775 pilots are female, making up around 15% of the workforce in this demanding field. According to the ambassador, this percentage is higher than the global norm of 5–6%.

Additionally, she stated that women make up about 36% of India’s IT workforce.

“More than 6 million female frontline workers led the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in India,” Rawat added, recalling the efforts made by women to defeat COVID-19 in 2020.

“In the shortest amount of time, Indian women scientists have demonstrated their power and tenacity by creating a COVID vaccination. Once more, the success of India’s expedition to Mars and the moon has been greatly attributed to Indian women scientists.

“In contrast to the required representation of 33%, there are over 1.45 million, or 46%, women elected representatives in Panchayati Raj institutions.”

The government’s efforts included promoting education, healthcare, and economic independence in addition to laws addressing gender-based violence, workplace discrimination, and inequality, she said, adding that the Indian push for women’s empowerment focuses on improving women’s social, economic, and political status in order to ensure equality and dignity in society.