WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT FELLOWS 2023
The 2nd cohort of the Women In Government Fellowship brings together a diverse group of women from all over the country with their grit, passion and aspirations to pursue a career in public service and governance! This year's cohort has 20 women aged 22 to 56, 10% representation from the LGBTQ+ community, 15% from SC & ST, 10% from religious minorities.
Amrita is a development professional with more than four years of experience in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. She has been part of She Creates Change and is also a Kalinga fellow. She avidly promotes open conversation on Menstruation through workshops on menstrual health and hygiene. She is driven to create social solutions and believes political empowerment is the strongest tool for women's social and financial empowerment and independence.
Amrita Singh Thakur
Kalinga Fellow & Development Professional
Aruna is a medical Doctor with Public Health Expertise. She is a social activist and is currently Vice President of the All India Unemployed Youth Struggle Committee (AIUYSC). She has personally participated in and guided various social movements for helping the needy, which includes the disadvantaged and student community.
Dr. Aruna S Venu
Doctor & Vice President, AIUYSC
Eeshna is currently a political volunteer/ worker with Aam Aadmi Party and was actively engaged in the 2022 Municipal Corporation Election in Delhi. Previously she has been involved in environmental activism, university-level politics, collectivizing, and youth organizing. She continues to participate in initiatives by Civil Society Organisations and the Delhi Government through her work. Eeshna supports and believes in the potential of alternative politics to transform the mainstream bar of leading change and influencing social thought in the country.
Eeshna Gupta
Political Vounteer, Aam Admi Party
Indu was nominated as the MLA in the state of Jammu & Kashmir from 2009 - 2014. She is currently the President of Jammu & Kashmir Mahila Congress. She is a dedicated politician & social worker with over 30 years of experience in providing support to vulnerable sections of society.
Indu Singh Pawar
Ex MLA & President, Jammu & Kashmir Mahila Congress
Meghna Mehra is an author and activist. She is the founder of the AIQA Foundation, which works toward women's rights and the LGBTQIA+ community. An alumnus of SPM College, University Of Delhi, she holds two Master's degrees — MA in Women and Gender Studies, and MA in Political Science. She has authored various books on gender issues and other significant social issues.
Meghna Mehra
Author & Activist
Founder, AIQA Foundation
Mumtaz Begum
Lawyer & Chairperson, RTI Department, APYC
Currently, Mumtaz is the Chairperson of the RTI Department of the Assam Pradesh Youth Congress. She has held various leadership positions within the Indian Youth Congress since 2016. She has also contested elections for the local government in Assam. An advocate by profession, Mumtaz believes that her presence in politics will pave the way for the new generation in her town.
Nidhi is an education sector professional, presently working as a domain expert with Samarthya. She is working with the department of school education, government of Punjab. Through the experience of over five years, she has worked in diverse environments ranging from top bureaucracy in the Government of India to international grassroots organisations.. Her rich and varied experience speaks of her determination to push boundaries and work in sectors that are essential for developing nations.
Nidhi Thakur
Education Professional
Parul is an entrepreneur, technologist, and champion for reforms. She is currently the Co-founder and CEO of Black Taxi and TribeIt. She has been associated with and working with organisations like the CAWC, teach for India and is on the board of directors of the rotary club. Parul holds a B.E from Mumbai University and M.S. from the University of Texas at Arlington, USA.
Parul Gupta
CEO , Black Taxi and Tribelt
Currently, as the lead of the Yuva Shakti organization in Samastipur, she works towards providing constitutional education to rural youth and developing the leadership of rural youth in four blocks. She has been actively working on the issues of health, and education of adolescent girls since 2014. She also founded the Gaurav Gramin Mahila Vikash Manch, which started as a simple community initiative, “It’s My Body,” across villages in 2008-09 to create awareness against early marriage. Today, her organization focuses on professional training for women in football, and exposure to a range of social, health, and gender issues through several social interventions.
Pratima Kumari
Founder , Gaurav Gramin Mahila Vikash Manch
Radhika is an environmentalist, who graduated in Environmental Sciences from Germany. She decided to return to India for work where she felt the need for change was stronger. She believes that Environmental and Social Justice go hand in hand and she founded Badlaav Social Reform Foundation, an NGO that addresses both, social and environmental issues. She is also the outgoing Curator at Global Shapers Community, Pune Hub.
Radhika Dhingra
Founder, Badlaav Social Reform Foundation
Pursuing her Ph.D. in Environmental Policy at ETH Zurich, Rhythima co-founded Humane Warriors, working towards social and environmental equity, facilitating projects on SDG goals. She has previously also worked on energy access policies as part of her double master's in policy and data at TU Delft. She aspires to be in politics and focus on the environmental sector, while amplifying the local communities.
Rhythima Shinde
Co - Founder, Humane Warriors
With a background in law, she works in the social sector in conjunction with politics and policy. She is an alum of GLC Bombay and recently completed her master's in Constitutional and Administrative Law from National Law University, Kochi. She started working for political campaigns as an intern at Indian Political Action Committee during the Loksabha 2019 elections and later became part of the core team for two assembly elections- West Bengal 2021 and Maharashtra 2019. She then moved on to work with Aam Admi Party for the Uttar Pradesh elections in 2022 and assisted Samajwadi Party's women's wing during the final phase of elections.
Sansriti Sen
Lawyer & Political Activist
Sehar Abdullah is a political science graduate who is keen on understanding societies and power structures; and introducing a gendered lens to her "discoveries". She hails from a conflict zone -- Kashmir and has seen political disturbance throughout her formative years, therefore believes that the solution to an intrinsic political issue comes from politics itself. A storyteller at heart, she is interested in joining state-level politics
Sehar Abdullah
Young India Fellow'22
Sfurti Dawle is a senior at Srishti School of Design, specialising in Strategic Branding. She runs her own design practice, Studio Raada where she has experience as a creative strategist. Currently interning at a political consultancy, she is passionate about empowering change through leadership & design. Sfurti is inspired by stories and experiential learning from around the world and is working to understand how we can engage with divergent stakeholder priorities in harmony.
Sfurti Dawle
Student, Srishti School of Design &
Founder, Studio Raada
Shivani Yadav is the Founder of a social awareness YouTube channel by the name of AWARITES. She is a mechanical engineering graduate who finds her destiny in serving this nation by understanding various aspects of this society. She is currently pursuing her Master in Sociology. She wants to work in the education and women's welfare sector and contribute to society.
Shivani Yadav
UPSC Lecturer, Kautilya IAS Academy
Shivi is a theatre artist, political activist, and researcher. She has been associated with grassroots and government bodies in different capacities to deepen her understanding of community-specific issues and challenges. From all her learnings across the nation, communities, projects, and activism, she found that women need to be influential leaders to bring equality and justice to our society. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of Delhi, themed on Women's Representation in Indian Politics.
Shivi Upadhyay
Theatre Artist, Political Activist & Researcher
Smita is currently elected as the Upsarpanch (Vice President) of her gram panchayat, Loni and Netajinagar, where she promotes inclusive development in the two villages to achieve the SDGs at the village level in the areas of education, health, employment, water and sanitation, and environment protection. She also co-founded the Eklavya India Movement where the first generation of learners of marginalized communities is mentored to achieve their dream of higher studies.
Smita Tatewar
Upsarpanch (VP) - Loni and Netajinagar, Maharashtra
Spandana is passionate about working towards the elimination of Education Inequity in India. She has completed the Teach for India fellowship, taught in a low income private school in Hyderabad and also worked with the State Board of Telangana to train government school teachers. Coming from a family of distinguished politicians, Spandana looks forward to giving back to the society through education.
Spandana Reddy
Education Professional
Currently, as the lead of the Yuva Shakti organization in Samastipur, she works towards providing constitutional education to rural youth and developing the leadership of rural youth in four blocks. She has been actively working on the issues of health, and education of adolescent girls since 2014. In 2019, she contested the Bihar Legislative Assembly as an independent candidate. She also founded the Gaurav Gramin Mahila Vikash Manch, which started as a simple community initiative, “It’s My Body,” across villages in 2008-09 to create awareness against early marriage. Today, her organization focuses on professional training for women in football, and exposure to a range of social, health, and gender issues through several social interventions.
Thanmai Vulasi
Student, Journalism
Currently, Vani is the Joint-Secretary of Surabhi Educational Society running Surabhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Siddipet, Telangana. She founded Pusthaka Vimanam, a book production and distribution company that aimed to inculcate reading. While working in the corporate sector, she was also involved in social work to give back to the needy.
