I-STEM - Atma Nirbhar initiatives

West (West In S&T)

Given the importance of technology in future growth and innovation, strategies targeted at training and keeping women in engineering, science, and technology (WEST) fields must be promoted. Granting women equal chances would not only help close the gender wage gap in the profession but also improve their economic stability and well-being, allowing the country's competent female labor force to be fully utilized to make the historical underrepresentation of them in these disciplines fade away.

In this direction, the collaboration of Government and other organization’s infrastructure and financial assistance for women are given and synergized to minimize the opportunity gap for women researchers, strengthen the areas of special interest to them, and also upgrade their education levels, which can translate into more jobs or employability every year.So, it is essential to inspire girls and women to seek and remain in engineering, science, and technology-related education and careers.

I-STEM (Indian Science Technology and Engineering Facilities Map: Linking Researchers and Resources) is insightful and motivated to close the gender gap in these fields, increase the involvement, success, and persistence of women in education and careers, and enhance the ability of nations to provide gender-responsive education, especially via instructional materials, catalytic grants, and pedagogy. The initiative, overall, would speak of accomplished women in the profession and the many intellectual skills that women possess that would help them to combat stereotype bias, and would be a fulfillment of their aims. The first step in assisting girls is realizing the skill sets that are important to their careers and "promote a developed mindset environment."

Additionally, it aims to provide a welcoming environment for all college students, particularly for female students interested in these areas. Thus, the inclusion of female role models in popular media and scientific publications will be paramount. Also, the I-STEM program aims to accommodate career breaks for female scientists. The Government is considering instituting a system of evaluating institutions on the basis of female enrollment and the growth of women's academic and scientific careers. It expects women to make up at least 30% of decision-making bodies in the area, including selection and assessment committees, in the future.

The I-STEM team has initiated various activities to fulfill the requirements in S&T, as indicated in one of the meetings of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science, Technology, and Innovation to support academic researchers and start-ups with technical guidance and other logistics, and also by the Honorable PSA to the Prime Minister, Government of India to create an expert bank. Further, to increase the participation of women in engineering, science, and technology (WEST), the I-STEM has launched a particular drive for Indian female scientists and female researchers from various domains to provide a platform where they can discuss their R&D outcomes, and problems which they encounter while conducting research and also to have awareness programs, skill development programs, and digital consortiums for live and quick discussions, and bring more students into the field of science.

In addition to offering a platform, the I-STEM may consider extending technical assistance in writing project proposals for funding, offering various R&D software at no cost, connecting with industries to improve collaboration, and connecting with various city knowledge and innovation clusters launched with support from the Office of the PSA, Government of India, and preparing them to take on challenges to design and manufacture the products needed for the Indian society to achieve the goal of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. To encourage young women to seek careers in science, this national portal also calls for the promotion of more women scientists to leadership roles. This would both encourage younger women to pursue careers in research and increase the visibility of female scientists' work. All these efforts are constructive measures to enhance the representation of Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST).