The SAFE Public Policy Council of the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI) convened on June 12, 2025 for a focused discussion on “Public Policy for Women and Women in Public Policy”. Building on the momentum from the previous session on strategies to improve women’s workforce retention, this meeting delved deeper into actionable frameworks and creating an enabling ecosystem of public policy for women. The discussion also explored how PAFI can engage with the public and private sectors to drive successful implementation strategies.
Kanika Singal, Advisor, Government & Entrepreneurship at The Udaiti Foundation, delivered a presentation outlining key barriers and innovative initiatives to boost women’s workforce participation. This was followed by a dynamic roundtable discussion, moderated by Vinita Sethi, Past President, PAFI; Independent Director; and former SVP & Chief Public Affairs, Apollo Hospitals Group. Harsh Shrivastava, CEO, PAFI, concluded the meeting with a summary of the discussion and proposed next steps for the Council.
Key issues explored included structural and systemic reforms, importance of women in decision making roles, flexibility and care infrastructure, skilling and re-skilling, mentorship and role modelling, workplace safety and inclusion and other enabling support structures for working women.
