P&G India Concludes its ‘Women In STEM Caravan’ Roadshow, Awarding Scholarships to Girls Pursuing STEM Education

Procter & Gamble India (P&G India) and Centre For Civil Society concluded the first-of-its-kind multi-city ‘Women In STEM Caravan’ Roadshow at the NITIE P&G Equality & Inclusion Summit 2023, held at National Institute of Industrial Engineering in Mumbai. At the concluding ceremony, P&G India recognized and awarded P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship to 5 girls pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses at NITIE. These girls qualified for the scholarship basis merit along with financial challenges.

P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship fellows with senior dignitaries from P&G India and National Institute of Industrial Engineering

The roadshow, officially recognized as a part of the G20 events, was flagged off with a high-powered roundtable discussion focused on policy provisions, ground realities, role of corporates and direct interventions for Women in STEM. The roadshow started in New Delhi on February 11, on International Day for Women and Girls in Science, and then travelled through various destinations across the country including Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra, leveraging other days of importance like National Science Day. Through the caravan, P&G India recognized and awarded P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship to over 100 girls pursuing STEM courses at various institutes like Industrial Training Institutes and Engineering colleges.

Throughout its journey, the Roadshow brought together distinguished stakeholders including policymakers, practitioners, academia among others, to spark conversations and discuss ways in which women representation in STEM can be strengthened through the right interventions, necessary policy reforms and implementation of best practices.

Speaking on the occasion, LV Vaidyanathan, MD & CEO, P&G India said, “As a company built on the foundation of innovation, we truly recognize the need of a highly-skilled and diverse STEM workforce – not just within P&G, but in the world outside of P&G. Female representation in STEM workforce in India is limited to 14%, despite women making up 40% of total STEM graduates. At P&G, we are committed to take meaningful actions to bridge this representation gap. In a systemic approach, we are stepping up to help ensure all girls, regardless of background, get the right STEM experiences and opportunities through our different initiatives. Towards this, last year, we launched P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship Program to enable more women to pursue STEM courses and make a career in the field. I am proud that we have been able to aid over 300 girls through this program. We stay committed towards creating an inclusive, gender-equal environment while breaking down the barriers for women in STEM.”

Laxmi Sampath Goyal, Chief Executive Officer, Centre For Civil Society said, “Centre for Civil Society is delighted to be partnering with P&G for the Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship for promoting STEM education among girls. Inculcating scientific temperament and a spirit of enquiry among young girls is imperative for shaping women's participation in science and technology. CCS hopes to not only encourage more girls across India to pursue education and careers in STEM, but also to provide them with the much-needed support and mentorship.”

Key highlights of the roadshow journey:

• New Delhi – The inaugural leg of the roadshow brought together representatives from P&G India, Centre For Civil Society, Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, and Niti Aayog among others. Held on “International Day for Women and Girls in Science”, the roundtable conference focused on policy provisions, ground realities, role of corporates and direct interventions for advancing women’s representation in STEM opportunities.

• Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh – The roadshow then moved on to Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh on ‘National Science Day’ where 60 girls pursuing STEM courses were recognized and awarded with the ‘P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship’. Shri. Ram Kumar Chaudhary, Hon’ble Member of Legislative Assembly, Doon & Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Town & Country Planning, Industries and Revenue, Government of Himachal Pradesh graced the event as the chief guest. Additionally, the event also included various workshops for the students present, as well as an inspiring address from senior female leaders from P&G India’s manufacturing plant at Baddi.

• Telangana – The roadshow then moved to Khammam district in Telangana, where 29 girls pursuing STEM courses were recognized and awarded with the ‘P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship’ marking the first year of the Program in Telangana, where 80+ girls pursuing STEM courses at ITIs and Engineering Colleges across the state have been awarded with the scholarship.

• Mumbai – In the final leg of the roadshow, P&G India and Centre For Civil Society announced the extension of the 'P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship’ program to National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai, recognizing and awarding the scholarship to 5 girls pursuing STEM courses at the institute on 3^rd NITIE P&G Equality & Inclusion Summit.

P&G India in partnership with Centre For Civil Society launched the ‘P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship’ program last year, as part of its flagship CSR initiative P&G Shiksha, to provide financial aid and mentorship to girls aspiring to pursue STEM education. This year, the program has awarded the scholarship to more than 300 girls across the country, with the aim of breaking barriers and enabling entry of skilled women professionals into manufacturing, technology, engineering, and other STEM related jobs.

Further, the Company’s skin care brand Olay is working to shrink the gender gap in STEM careers with its ‘STEM The Gap’ initiative, by spotlighting the biases and stereotypes that hold back progress and enabling young girls to get interested and excited by STEM subjects. P&G India also has a long-standing partnership with NITIE and hosts the annual ‘P&G-NITIE Equality Summit’ to spark conversations on issues that perpetuate a glass ceiling for women, uncover deep-rooted stereotypes that still exist, and motivate change specifically linked to equal representation of women STEM and Supply Chain. The Summit in its 3^rd edition has reached more than 400 college campuses.

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