Nari Shakti: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated on-demand food delivery platform Swiggy’s “She The Change- From Vision to Venture" to recognise and celebrate female entrepreneurs on its platform.

Swiggy has 50,000 women-run restaurants on its platform which generate 3 lakh jobs seeing that each restaurant employs an average of six direct employees. Notably, the food and beverage sector accounts for around three per cent of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The event commemorated a decade of working with women entrepreneurs across India, and was attended by distinguished figures from economics and academia.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs said, “From keeping women at the centre of policy making to women-related budgets to discussing women in employment, we have come a long way.”

 Today, I can see there is great vibrancy in women-led enterprises, where women are coming forth and taking up business challenges- whether small, medium or big, you find women everywhere, and programmes such as Swiggy's “She the Change” are giving them the encouragement and a little push, and for other women to know this is possible, she added.

“Swiggy deserves a special mention for encouraging women's entrepreneurship nationwide,” the Finance Minister said.

Founded in 2014 by Sriharsha Majety, Nandan Reddy and Rahul Jaimini, Swiggy is present in over 500 cities and also has an quick-commerce arm, Swiggy Instamart, Genie service for in-city drop-offs and a recent Mini store for new-age brands. 

Sriharsha Majety, Group CEO of Swiggy said,“'She The Change' transcends being just an initiative; it stands as a platform, dedicated to honouring and amplifying the remarkable stories of women entrepreneurs and leaders in the F&B industry.”

They have not only set new benchmarks for success but also played a pivotal role in shaping India's economic narrative, he added.

The entrepreneurs facilitated as part of the initiative include Ashni Shah, Co-founder of NOTO- Healthy Ice Cream and Priya Sharma of Bonfire Pizza, Rishikesh apart from women entrepreneurs from across the country.