Women Aren’t A Cost To The Exchequer: Smriti Irani Explains Why They’re India’s Growth Engine

At BT Davos 2026, Business Today’s Group Editor Siddharth Zarabi is in an exclusive conversation with Smriti Irani, Founder & Chairperson, Alliance for Global Good: Gender Equity and Equality, on women-centric policy, economic impact, and investor confidence in India. Irani counters criticism around schemes like Ladki Behen Yojana, arguing that investing in women strengthens fiscal outcomes through higher consumption, better health, and education. She explains how policies such as Mudra and SHG financing have boosted rural demand and entrepreneurship. Irani also highlights India’s political stability, governance reforms, and the urgent need to better count women’s participation in the economy, especially in the informal sector—sending a strong signal to global investors.