NL Correspondent
Jammu Tawi: Avtar group, India’s pioneer in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) solutions, released the second edition of ‘Top Cities for Women in India (TCWI)’ index today. Data obtained from various governmental sources including Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS July 2022-June 2023), national census and crime records were assimilated apart from Avtar’s primary research on women’s employment. The research comprised an open survey and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) between July 2023 and December 2023 in which over 1200 women from across the country participated. The metrices derived from both the survey and governmental data were put together to arrive at the comprehensive City Inclusion Scores (CIS).Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Coimbatore, and Jaipur emerge as Top 10 Cities for Women in India in the Category 1 that lists cities with a population of more than one million. The national capital makes a debut in this edition of Top 10 by positioning itself on the 8th rank.
The performance of Tamil Nadu state capital Chennai is commendable – it cemented its position as the top city for women to retain its number 1 ranking.Tiruchirappalli, Vellore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Shimla, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Gurugram and Puducherry feature in the Category 2 (with a population of less than one million) of Top Cities for Women. A total of 113 cities were identified for the study based on the role these cities play in the economic growth of the country. The 113 cities have been divided into two categories in the listing. Category 1 covers 49 cities with a population of more than a million and category 2 covers 64 cities with less than a million population. Speaking at the announcement, Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Founder-President, Avtar group said, “Vibrant employment opportunities, good quality of life including educational and healthcare facilities, well-connected transportation networks, experience of safety are defining attributes of inclusive cities for women. Avtar’s annual index, Top Cities for Women in India is a clarion call to create equitable pathways to increase women’s workforce participation in the country. Our data-driven and evidence-based understanding of the ethos of Indian cities towards women’s inclusion will help in making our country a developed nation by 2027 – as envisioned by our Honorable Prime Minister. Creating environments where women thrive, lead, and contribute their fullest potential is crucial in this pursuit.”
