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Summary of Women in Electricity session at Bharat Electricity Summit 2026
An exclusive session on “Women in Electricity: Current and Courageous” was organized as part of Bharat Electricity Summit on 21st March 2026, involving 250+ delegates from National and International public/private organizations of the Power sector.
The session was inaugurated by Chief Guest Ms. Bala Jyoti, Member (Law), JERC, UT of J&K and Ladakh; Ms. Parminder Chopra, Chairperson and Managing Director, Power Finance Corporation and Ms. Manju Gupta, Executive Director, POWERGRID and Chair WiE, CIGRE India, through the ceremonial lighting of the lamp.
In her Welcome address, Ms. Manju Gupta extended a warm welcome to all the eminent guests, speakers, panelists and participants and set the program agenda and objectives. She highlighted that India is at a critical juncture in its power journey, with the sector undergoing rapid transformation driven by technological advancement and evolving energy needs. While technology will be a key enabler, she emphasized that the future of the sector will be shaped by leadership, particularly leadership that is diverse and inclusive. She expressed hope that the session would foster cross-learning, mentorship and collaboration, leading to an actionable roadmap for a future-ready, resilient and inclusive power sector.
In her inaugural address, Ms. Bala Jyoti acknowledged the progress made in women empowerment and gender representation, while noting that significant gaps persist, especially in leadership roles. She called for sustained and systemic efforts to address these gaps, emphasizing the need to challenge the status quo, strengthen sponsorship and ensure safe, equitable work environments free of discrimination and pay disparity. She also underscored the importance of increasing women’s participation, particularly at the grassroots and frontline levels, to drive meaningful transformation in the sector.
This was followed by a leadership talk by Ms. Parminder Chopra, who highlighted that improving women’s representation requires creating equal opportunities and addressing societal biases. She noted that the energy sector is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by technological innovation, evolving markets and changing energy mix, making continuous learning and adaptability critical. She emphasized that women’s strengths such as empathy and multi-tasking position them as effective leaders. She further noted that the focus should shift from empowerment to ensuring equal opportunity, while addressing the dual societal and professional challenges faced by women. An enlightening video on how the role of women in the Indian power sector has evolved was also shown.
Attended by Ms. Tal Katz, Ms. S. Usha, Ms. Dechen Dema, Dr. Tripta Thakur and Ms. Anamika Bhargava; moderated by Ms. Tanushree Bhowmik (The World Bank).
Attended by Ms. Bani Verma, Ms. Manju Gupta, Ms. Vibha Dhawan, Ms. Neo Mapapanyane and Ms. Kristina Ozgan; moderated by Ms. Neha Gupta (BCG India).
In the context of globally lagging gender representation (Power sector at 20%, Indian Power CPSEs at ~9%), the panel explored unlocks needed to enhance representation.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks to all guests, panelists, and delegates.
