Rising above Covid Challenges
Ficci Ladies Organization (FLO) held its 36th Annual Session recently, the first ever virtual Change of Guard ceremony. Very apt in the current scenario, the theme was ‘Rising Above Covid Challenges’.
The session was divided into two segments 
First Session
Highlights
Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI was the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker of the First Session. On this Occasion,she announced for the first time in 36 years, a collaboration of FICCI and FLO to empower women economically.
Quote
Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI
“An empowered woman can transform the world and with this collaboration, we look forward to touching atleast 1 lakh women in next 2-3 years and help them to lead a better life”, 
Second Session
Highlights
- Hon’ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla was the Chief Guest & Keynote Speaker of the Second Session, released FLO’s compilation of around 1200 Grassroots Women in Business, named ‘Invisible Women: Bringing Them To The Front”. A Compilation Of Around 1200 Grassroots Women In Business’.
- It was followed by the release of the Annual Report that encapsulates the activities undertaken by FLO pan India in the year 2019-20.
- Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General FICCI addressed the session and announced the names of the Office Bearers & Governing Body Members of FLO for the year 2020-21. He also suggested if FLO could take initiative to organize sessions on maintaining social distancing amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, as the country is about to open up.
- Jahnabi Phookan, Director, JTI Group took over the mantle as the 37th President of FICCI Ladies Organization from Harjinder Kaur Talwar, MD & CEO at Comvision India Pvt Ltd.
In her acceptance speech, she said that, in her role as the National President, she will focus on empowering women with entrepreneurship capabilities and professional excellence, enabling them to take up new challenges and avail of new opportunities.
Quotes
Hon’ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla
“To make our Prime Minister’s vision of self-sustainable India, we look forward to FLO’s continued efforts in empowering women in both rural and urban areas. Women are multi-tasker, we need to create a model where every woman sitting at home can be economically independent.
We are going through a global crisis and are witnessing some unprecedented and difficult times. In India, the government is doing a commendable job to deal with this challenge and has come up with thoughtful and urgent economic relief packages, especially for the poor and the vulnerable section of the society.
As a part of the civil society and a business chamber, it is our responsibility to stand in solidarity and come together to support the government combat the COVID-19 pandemic and to help respond to this global outbreak. FLO is an ever evolving organisation and we have turned this challenge into an opportunity and here is an exemplary and pioneering move, where we are organizing the Annual Session and Change of Guard virtually.”
Harjinder Kaur Talwar, FLO President
“This is a compilation of grassroot women in enterprises, who were once landless laborers or poor housewives, are now earning their own livelihoods and becoming self-reliant with small businesses. We may have often seen them selling tea in the corners or selling snacks or even running beauty parlours or tailoring. But these are mostly unorganised and their stories go undocumented .Our primary agenda is to create a pool of information on these grassroots women and connect them to the relevant administrative bodies in the Government and facilitate assistance to these women in accessing finance and help them scale up”
