Pradeep Pattanayak

The 12th edition of IDEATE 2023, an annual advocacy platform organised by Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation under the banner of ‘Jan Bhagidari - G-20 EMPOWER’ in partnership with FICCI and UNICEF, was held at FICCI Federation House in New Delhi on Monday.

The theme of IDEATE 2023 was ‘Foundational & Lifecycle Interventions to EMPOWER’. While addressing the august gathering, President of FICCI and trustee of BIPF, Subhrakant Panda laid emphasis on importance of investing early in adolescent development.

The FICCI president also emphasised the importance of closing the gender gap in education, health, and job opportunities, boosting economic growth and inclusivity.

“Today’s programme has been organised to interact on how to provide life skills to them (adolescent girls) so that in future, they will have a positive impact on society. There are also statistics corroborating the fact that the gender parity has a huge impact on a country’s GDP and growth,” said Panda. 

The countries which have been able to close gender gaps in terms of education, health facilities and job opportunities, certainly get a boost in terms of economic growth, he added.

“In the foundational stage, adolescent girls should get the support so that nation building idea can grow in their mind. Mentorship plays a vital role when they are to start micro-enterprise for the first time. We are confident that our girls will achieve new heights,” said Shaifalika Panda, Trustee and founder CEO of BIPF. 

While Additional Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Vipin Kumar attended the programme as the Chief Guest, FICCI’s Additional Director General, Jyoti Vij and UNICEF India representative Cynthia McCffrey attended the event.

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