From sports to STEM education: Indian women breaking barriers, PM Modi reveals how

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025, at Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi (Image: PTI)

At the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025 on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauded Indian women making strides in STEM education as well as sports.

PM Modi started his address with hailing the Indian women's cricket team's historic first ever World Cup victory against South Africa on Sunday.

PM Modi said that India's first Women's World Cup will inspire millions of young people across the country.

"This event is related to science. But first, I will talk about India's spectacular victory in cricket. All of India is overjoyed with the success of its cricket team. This is India's first Women's World Cup. I congratulate our women's cricket team. We are proud of you. Your success will inspire millions of young people across the country," PM Modi said.

After heartbreaks in the 2005 and 2017 finals, the luck, skill set, balance, and depth favoured Team India; the clinical Women in Blue overcame South Africa, the first-time finalists, by 52 runs to secure their first-ever World Cup title across both T20I and ODI formats.

PM Modi also highlighted women's exponential growth in the field of science and technology, especially in patent filings. He said that in patent filings, the number of women in this field annually was less than 100 a decade ago.

He noted that now, the patent filings by women has reached over 5,000 annually.

PM Modi further said that the share of women in STEM education is about 43%, which is higher than the global average.

Sharing an anecdote, he shared how he was asked if girls in India pursue science and technology.

"I was in an elevator with the Science and Technology Minister of a developed country. He asked me, 'Do girls in India pursue science and technology?' When I told him about such numbers, he was shocked. This is what the daughters of India have achieved," he shared.

PM Modi emphasised that these statistics show how rapidly women in India are progressing in the field of science and technology.

At the event, he also launched Rs one lakh crore Research Development Innovation Scheme to spur private sector investments in research and development.

He launched the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund at the first ever Emerging Science Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) that brings together policy makers, innovators and global visionaries to drive the government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Modi also launched a coffee table book on scientific achievements of India and a vision document for science and technology.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is the nodal ministry of the RDI Fund that will operate through a two-tiered funding structure.

At the first level, a Special Purpose Fund (SPF) will be established within the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), which will serve as the custodian of the Rs one lakh crore corpus.

The Fund will not directly invest in industries and start ups but will channel capital to second-level fund managers, who can be Alternative Investment Funds (AIF), Development Finance Institutions (DFI), Non-banking Finance Companies (NBFCs), among others.

Recommendations for support will be made by second-level fund managers through investment committees comprising experts from financial, business, and technical domains operating at arm's length from the government.

With inputs from agencies