Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over his X account to six women achievers on the occasion of International Women's Day on Saturday. Among the women who posted from his social media account were Indian chess Grandmaster R Vaishali, scientists Elina Mishra and Shilpi Soni, Frontier Markets founder Ajaita Shah, Anita Devi, popularly known as the "Mushroom Lady of Bihar", and Dr Anjlee Agarwal, a leading accessibility advocate.
Each of them shared inspiring stories to motivate other women and urge them not to give up on their dreams.
Rameshbabu Vaishali
Born in 2001 in Tamil Nadu's Chennai, Vaishali is a famous chess player. She clinched the FIDE Grand Swiss in 2023 to qualify for the Women's World Championship. She is the elder sister of Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa.
According to Chess.com, Vaishali won the Girls Under-12 event in 2012, followed by a victory in Girls Under-14 in 2015. She earned her women's grandmaster title in 2018.
On the Prime Minister's official X handle, Grandmaster Vaishali shared that she had been playing chess since she was six years old, adding that it had been a "learning, thrilling and rewarding journey for me".
Vanakkam!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
I am @chessvaishali and I am thrilled to be taking over our PM Thiru @narendramodi Ji's social media properties and that too on #WomensDay. As many of you would know, I play chess and I feel very proud to be representing our beloved country in many tournaments. pic.twitter.com/LlYTmqE2MQ
In a special message to all women, Vaishali urged them to "follow your dreams, no matter the hurdles."
Anita Devi
Anita Devi is a farmer-entrepreneur from the Anantapur village in Bihar's Nalanda district. She started with mushroom cultivation after being trained under the Bihar government's JEEViKA project and the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM).
मैं अनीता देवी, नालंदा जिले के अनन्तपुर गांव की रहने वाली हूं। मैंने जीवन में बड़े संघर्ष देखे हैं। लेकिन मेरा हमेशा से मन था, अपने दम पर कुछ करने का। 2016 में मैंने खुद स्वरोजगार करने का निर्णय लिया था। उसी दौर में स्टार्ट-अप्स का इतना क्रेज बढ़ गया था। इसलिए 9 साल पहले मैंने भी… pic.twitter.com/DFrQ8sDJd2
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
On PM Modi's X handle, she narrated her story of self-reliance and rural development, highlighting how her venture went on to create livelihood opportunities for hundreds of women in the region.
Ajaita Shah
Ajaita Shah is the founder and CEO of Frontier Markets, a social commerce platform working towards providing essential last-mile connections to rural households to all women.
As per her LinkedIn profile, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Affairs from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
A financially empowered woman is a confident decision-maker, independent thinker, architect of her own future and a maker of modern India! And, our nation is taking the lead in building financially empowered women.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
I, @Ajaita_Shah, am really delighted to be handling PM… pic.twitter.com/Jx0ony2hwS
Sharing her experience on PM Modi's X handle, Ms Shah said that she founded Frontier Markets in 2011 with the belief that supporting rural women could enable them to achieve the impossible.
Anjlee Agarwal
Dr Anjlee Agarwal serves as the co-founder and executive director at Samarthyam, Centre for Universal Accessibility.
She is an assisted wheelchair user and has lived with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy since the age of 18. She is a national awardee and a universal accessibility and sustainable mobility specialist, as per her website.
Namaste India and Happy #WomensDay.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
I am Dr. @access_anjlee, founder of @samarthyam Centre for Universal Accessibility. Through PM @narendramodi's social media handle, which I have the honour of taking over today, I want to ignite a spark of transformation, and seek a call to… pic.twitter.com/HTTgSYHpZd
In her Women's Day message, Ms Agarwal urged women to "forget labels, forget barriers".
Elina Mishra
Elina Mishra from Bhubaneswar was earlier selected to work at the Mumbai-based Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). She developed her interest in science from her father.
Through her work, she has made significant contributions to electromagnetism, accelerator physics and nuclear technology. This includes the key development of proton accelerator technology and medical applications for remote healthcare, PTI reported.
Shilpi Soni
Shilpi Soni is a resident of Sagar in Madhya Pradesh. She has been a part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for 24 years. Over the years, she has contributed to more than 35 communication and navigation missions.
Space technology, nuclear technology and women empowerment…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
We are Elina Mishra, a nuclear scientist and Shilpi Soni, a space scientist and we are thrilled to be helming the PM's social media properties on #WomensDay.
Our message- India is the most vibrant place for science… pic.twitter.com/G2Qi0j0LKS
In their message, the two scientists stated that the country is the "most vibrant place for science". They have called upon more women to pursue a career in it.
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