SWATI Portal

SWATI Portal

News: The SWATI portal was globally launched on Sunday, Feb 11, 2024. The launch took place at the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi, and was live-streamed worldwide.

What is SWATI Portal?
• The SWATI portal, which stands for Science for Women: A Technology and Innovation, is an online platform dedicated to all Indian Women in Science
• The SWATI portal is a complete interactive database developed, hosted, and maintained by the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi.
• It aims to address the challenges of the gender gap in sciences and transform the presence of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) disciplines throughout India.

What is the gender gap in sciences?
• The gender gap in sciences refers to the disparity between women’s and men’s participation, access, rights, pay, and benefits in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computing.

Key points:
• Women continue to be under-represented in STEM subjects. They are still under-represented in fields such as computing, digital information technology, engineering, mathematics, and physics.
• The UNESCO Science Report 2021 found that women made up a third (33 percent) of researchers in 2018. However, women make up just 28 percent of graduates in engineering and 40 percent of those in computer sciences.
• Female workers account for just 22 percent of people working in artificial intelligence (AI) worldwide.
• Scenario in India: As per the latest Research and Development Statistics, 2019-20 of DST, India has 16.6 percent of women researchers directly engaged in R&D activities.

Government Initiatives to counter Gender Disparity in Science
• KIRAN scheme (Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing): Launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), KIRAN aims to provide various career opportunities to women scientists and technologists, including fellowships, grants, and training programs.
• Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI): This initiative, along with the draft Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020, takes a step towards inclusivity by considering transgender identities and gender-neutral parental leave.
• Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA): This program focuses on improving the quality of education in secondary schools, including promoting the participation of girls in STEM subjects and providing them with relevant skills and opportunities.
• Vigyan Jyoti program aims to provide exposure and mentorship to girls in STEM.