I recently had the pleasure of attending a valedictory event at a summer camp for school students at the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi. For six days, students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics were able to build prototypes, test ideas, collaborate with mentors and turn “insights into impact” in different everyday fields relating to environment, healthcare and rural development. The program was designed for “young change makers”, to allow them to design and execute their innovative ideas in the best-equipped and fanciest labs in the country, if not the world.
And change makers these were. During my interaction with the youth and future of our country, I was most impressed by their concepts, their designs and inventions that approached real problems with practical and well-thought-out solutions. These youngsters had been mentored by some of the brightest minds of the country, and it showed in their final projects. The engineering precision with which they tackled problems such as how to use sensors to send warning signals about waterlogged roads or their use of IoT to sense LPG gas leakages at home was impressive. My favourite was an automatic robotic sewage sucker machine, which could theoretically do away with manual scavenging. I came away suitably humbled by the capacity and capability of these young minds.
As I watched the students present their projects, one glaringly obvious fact stood out—the girls outnumbered the boys. And it was the girls who confidently presented their projects, explaining the working of each model. The boys just seemed to be there as a diversity and inclusivity candidate. Some groups that were completely composed of the fairer sex in their entirety.
I found this an interesting, considering that so many recent innovations and strides taken by the country in the fields of chip design, defence research and even missile management have been due to efforts directly from women engineers or teams led by women in STEM. A field that was often considered off limits for a particular gender is now being led by the same gender.
The woman behind India’s GaN chips
India has recently made a breakthrough of tremendous magnitude and of immense strategic importance for the country’s defence and technological self-reliance. By becoming only the seventh nation to develop an indigenous version of the Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor chip, a technologically advanced component critical to advanced fighter jet systems. GaN semiconductor chips are considered far superior to conventional silicon chips for high-power and high-frequency applications. They can operate at much higher voltages, temperatures and switching speeds, whilst consuming less energy and occupying smaller space. This makes them critical for next-gen radars, missiles, electronic warfare systems, drones, satellites and yes, Rafales.
The achievement is particularly significant because access to GaN technology has long been tightly controlled globally due to its military applications. India had earlier faced restrictions and technological stonewalling in this area. The indigenous development of this chip has changed the game for India. And the scientist behind the indigenous Gallium Nitride semiconductor technology is none other than Meena Mishra. In collaboration with the DRDO, SSPL, and GAETEC Hyderabad, Mishra led the efforts to develop GaN-based Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICS).
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The beautiful mind behind Mangalyaan
India’s historic Mars Orbiter Mission, or Mangalyaan, had the brilliant mind of Minal Sampath behind it. A systems engineer at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Sampath played a significant role in the development and integration of the spacecraft systems that enabled us to successfully place a satellite into Mars orbit on the very first attempt—a feat achieved by no other nation. The Mangalyaan mission has demonstrated India’s remarkable ability to perform complex interplanetary navigation and deep space communication on a modest budget. Scientists like Sampath became the face of Mangalyaan, which not only elevated India’s standing in global space research but also inspired a generation of young girls to imagine careers in science, aerospace and technology.
Agni Shakti
The Agni ballistic missiles, including the long-range Agni IV and Agni V systems, significantly strengthened India’s defence capabilities and helped the country during Operation Sindoor. One wouldn’t imagine a gentle, soft-spoken engineer to be the brains behind a ballistic missile system, but Tessy Thomas was actually trained by former President APJ Abdul Kalam himself. Thomas’s work involves areas such as missile guidance and navigation, propulsion and control systems and technologies critical to national security. Rising through a field traditionally dominated by men, Thomas broke social and professional barriers through sheer competence and dedication to become an inspiration for aspiring STEM women to emulate.
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A woman’s world
Indian women in STEM are increasingly offering solutions and products across defence, healthcare, space and biotechnology. The Rocket Woman of India, Ritu Karidhal, a senior scientist at ISRO helped develop the deep-space technologies for India’s Chandrayaan moon mission.
ISRO’s Nandini Harinath worked on mission design and spacecraft operations for the Mars Orbiter System.
In healthcare technology, Gagandeep Kang made history through her work on rotavirus research and the rotavirus vaccine for children. Kang is also known by the moniker “India’s vaccine godmother.” Shalini Gupta from IIT Delhi developed Septiflo, an indigenous diagnostic technology for the rapid detection of bacterial septicaemia, leading to affordable medical diagnostics in India.
There are many more such success stories as India has the largest number of women in STEM.
Over the last decade, India has made significant progress in encouraging women and girls to enter scientific and technical fields.
Government initiatives such as the WISE-KIRAN programme, Vigyan Jyoti and fellowships under the Department of Science and Technology have sought to support women at different stages of their academic and professional journeys. Special emphasis has been made in encouraging school-aged girls to pursue mathematics, coding, robotics and engineering. This is reflected in the increasing visibility of Indian women scientists in ISRO, DRDO, and premier research institutes.
The message is clear—scientific excellence doesn’t have a gender. Young girls can and should dream of touching the sky, literally and figuratively.
Yet, despite this progress, challenges remain substantial. While girls may excel academically in mathematics and science at the school level, a significant number opt out of STEM careers due to social expectations, lack of support, and workplace biases.
This is where policy, institutions and society can bring about a change by recognising women in STEM as drivers of innovation and economic growth.
Corporate India recognises this reality. Scholarships and mentorship programmes, and leadership initiatives aimed at women in technology and research are expanding. IITs and leading universities are also introducing measures to improve gender representation and retention in technical education.
Change, however, comes from home, and families which encourage and support the curiosity and intelligence of young women rather than saying “maths is not for you.” When girls start designing robots for manual scavenging, society sees progress. Despite this, stereotypes about India and Indian women persist. India continues to celebrate its achievements irrespective of gender. In fact, it would do all of us good to remember that 46.8 per cent of girls in India choose science for higher education, the highest in any country.
Meenakshi Lekhi is a BJP leader, lawyer and social activist. Her X handle is @M_Lekhi. Views are personal.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)