Kochi | Union Minister Savitri Thakur on Wednesday said that women-led development is indispensable for achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Addressing the plenary session of the BRICS Women's Ministerial Meeting under India's BRICS presidency, Thakur said that the world is moving rapidly towards inclusive and sustainable development and stressed that countries cannot achieve these goals without ensuring women's participation and leadership.

"Empowering and encouraging women is not merely a social responsibility, but an imperative necessity for inclusive and sustainable economic growth. A nation that empowers its women strengthens its economy, fosters a more inclusive society, and builds a more sensitive and effective governance system," the union minister of state for Women and Child Development said.

Thakur said that women's empowerment has become a vital pillar of India's development journey, noting that one out of every three elected representatives in local bodies is a woman.

She said that more than 1.4 million elected women representatives are playing a pivotal role in shaping development, governance, and public service across villages and cities in India.

Referring to the enactment of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, she said that the legislation marked a historic step towards ensuring one-third reservation for women in Parliament and state legislative assemblies.

She said that Indian women were making remarkable contributions in governance, industry, science, defence, and space exploration, and that India's experiences in women's empowerment closely mirror the shared aspirations of BRICS nations.

"Representing nearly half of the world's population, the BRICS countries possess the collective capacity to make global development more inclusive, equitable, and just," she said.

Describing women's empowerment as the bedrock of economic growth, digital transformation, innovation, and sustainable development, the minister said that India had accorded special importance to the Women's Track during its BRICS presidency.

Thakur said that representatives of governments, international organisations, development partners, academia, the private sector, and civil society were participating in the discussions, demonstrating that collective efforts can translate ideas into impactful outcomes.

Kerala Women and Child Development Minister Bindu Krishna said that it was a matter of pride that Kochi had been chosen to host the BRICS Women's Track meetings under India's presidency of the grouping.

"The theme of this chairmanship, 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,' resonates deeply with Kerala's own developmental journey," she said.

Krishna said that women outnumber men in Kerala, female literacy is nearly universal, and maternal and child health indicators are comparable with those of developed nations.

"These outcomes are not accidental. They are the result of decades of sustained public investment in education, health, and social security, and of the conviction that women's well-being is the foundation of all development," she said.

Highlighting the Kudumbashree Mission as one of Kerala's biggest achievements, the minister said that the poverty eradication programme, launched in 1998, had evolved into one of the world's largest women's community networks, with more than 48 lakh members organised into over three lakh neighbourhood groups.

She said that Kudumbashree women collectively save, borrow, and build livelihoods, and currently run nearly two lakh enterprises ranging from farming and food processing units to information technology services.

Krishna said that Kerala has also strengthened women's leadership at the grassroots by reserving 50 per cent of seats in panchayats, municipalities, and corporations for women, enabling tens of thousands of elected women representatives to participate in planning, budgeting, and local governance.

Acknowledging that challenges remained, Krishna said that Kerala continues to work towards increasing women's participation in the paid workforce, ensuring safety in public and digital spaces, and breaking newer glass ceilings.

Anil Malik, Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, said that resilient economies and sustainable societies require the full participation and leadership of women.

"The BRICS vision recognises that resilient economies and sustainable societies cannot be built without the full participation, leadership, and agency of women," he said.

The secretary said that India was pursuing the vision of women-led development through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, integrating gender considerations across policies, programmes, and institutions.

He said that investments in education, health, nutrition, digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, skill development, and social protection had created an ecosystem that enables women to participate, lead, and thrive.

Expressing confidence in the outcome of the deliberations, Malik said that the discussions would help identify practical solutions to strengthen women's leadership, economic empowerment, digital inclusion, and resilience across BRICS.

The two-day BRICS Women Ministers' Meeting commenced in Kochi on Wednesday.

BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Indonesia joined the grouping in 2025.

India will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi in September this year.

As part of its BRICS presidency, India is hosting a series of meetings across the country in the run-up to the summit.