Basic has Played a Proactive and Constructive role in Combating Global Climate Change and International Climate Change Negotiations’: Javadekar

Basic has Played a Proactive and Constructive role in Combating Global Climate Change and International Climate Change Negotiations’: Javadekar

Joint Statement issued at the Conclusion of the 22nd Basic Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change 

India has said that the BASIC group has played a proactive and constructive role in combating global climate change and in the international climate change negotiations, which led to the successful adoption of the Paris Agreement. Addressing a joint press conference with Ministers of BASIC group here today, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar said that it is an opportune time for the BASIC group to renew its efforts in the post-Paris period, invigorating the steps taken domestically, as well as internationally to address climate change. “I feel glad that the Paris Agreement recognizes the imperatives of sustainable patterns of consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead, and climate justice in strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty”, Shri Javadekar said.

Shri Javadekar also emphasized that the BASIC group has been a strong advocate of the principle of ‘Differentiation” and operationalization of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) in the climate change regime. The Minister also highlighted that BASIC countries have started taking pre-2020 actions, more than what is expected and much beyond their capacity. Shri Javadekar expressed the hope that the developed world will make an all-out effort to mobilize $ 100 billion, which was an essential feature of Paris agreement. A Joint Statement was made at the end of the meeting. The following is the text of the Joint Statement at the conclusion of the 22nd BASIC Ministerial meeting on Climate Change:

1. The 22nd BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change was held in New Delhi, India on and April 6-7, 2016. The meeting was attended by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Mr. Prakash Javadekar, Special Representative for Climate Change of China, Mr. Xie Zhenhua, Under Secretary-General for the Environment, Energy, Science and Technology, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Ambassador Antonio Marcondes, and Chief Director, International Climate Change Relations and Negotiations of South Africa, Mr. Maesela Kekana,.

2. Ministers welcomed the adoption of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and acknowledged that the 21st Conference of Parties (COP-21) held in Paris in December 2015 marked a milestone in global climate cooperation. They underlined that the Paris Agreement is meant to enhance the implementation of the Convention and is comprehensive, balanced and ambitious. It also reiterates the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR & RC).

3. Ministers appreciated the role of the French Presidency in carrying all Parties together and ensuring the successful adoption of the Paris Agreement at COP-21. The Ministers also commended the role of BASIC and G-77 & China groups in negotiating the Paris outcomes and securing interests of the developing countries. They reaffirmed the commitment of BASIC countries to G-77 & China and expressed their appreciation of South Africa’s chairing of the group.

4. Ministers underlined that the Paris Agreement recognizes the imperatives of sustainable patterns of consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead, and the importance of climate justice, in strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change.

5. Ministers commended the efforts by BASIC countries and other developing countries in tackling climate change, both pre- and post-2020, and emphasised that these represent far more ambitious efforts compared to their respective responsibilities and capabilities.

6. The BASIC countries look forward to signing the Paris Agreement on 22 April 2016 during the High-Level Signature Ceremony convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. They expressed their will to initiate necessary domestic processes for ratification, acceptance or approval as soon as possible with a view to facilitate the timely entry into force of the Agreement, and urged other countries to do so as well.

7. Ministers reiterated the importance of pre-2020 actions in building trust amongst the Parties and noted with concern the pending ratification by many Annex I Parties of the Doha Amendment, which establishes the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. They urged Annex I Parties to both ratify and revisit pledges of Quantified Emission Limitation and Reduction Objectives (QELROs) to close the emission gap. They also emphasized that raising pre-2020 ambition on other pillars of the Convention (viz. adaptation, finance and technology and capacity building support) will pave the way for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

8. The Ministers reiterated that Parties’ contributions, termed as ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ (NDCs), are to be country driven and comprehensive. The Ministers reflected on the importance of adaptation and means of implementation as key elements of Parties efforts under the Agreement.

9. The Ministers stressed the differentiated obligations in mitigation actions of developed and developing countries, as well as for the provision of support, and emphasized that developed countries should continue to take the lead. They also recalled that the Paris Agreement specifically mentions that the time frame for peaking will be longer for developing countries. Ministers felt that proper anchoring of differentiation in contributions of developed and developing countries is a sound basis for ambitious actions.

10. Ministers also underscored the need for financial support to developing countries for effective implementation of their mitigation and adaptation actions through accelerating the work on the new Technology Framework and the Technology Mechanism including its assessment for a meaningful and tangible dissemination, transfer and deployment of technology from developed to developing countries. They also emphasized on the role of innovation and international cooperation in enhancing global actions.

11. Ministers welcomed the setting up of the Paris Committee, a new institutional mechanism for enhancing capacity building activities in developing countries, and urged developed countries to provide financial support for capacity building in developing countries.

12. Ministers emphasized the importance of building on the existing transparency framework under the Convention, for effective implementation of the Paris Agreement and reiterated the importance of providing support and flexibility to developing countries, including through the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency, in fulfilling their obligations under the proposed enhanced transparency framework. Ministers further underlined that transparency of support is a fundamental aspect of the implementation of the Paris Agreement and that the consideration of this issue should not be outsourced to other entities. They also reflected on the need to focus on the qualitative aspects of climate finance on transparency of support.

13. Ministers identified means of implementation in the context of provision of finance, technology transfer and capacity building support as the most important enablers of action for developing countries. Ministers expressed their concern over the lack of adequate support in this respect and urged developed countries to honour their obligations under the Convention.

14. Ministers also urged developed countries to scale up their level of financial support with a complete road map to achieve the goal of jointly providing USD 100 billion per year by 2020. Reiterating the role of public finance, Ministers called upon developed countries to fulfill their pledges to the Green Climate Fund.

15. Ministers noted that the next session of the SBI, SBSTA and Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement will be deliberating on a number of issues related to the Paris Agreement. In this regard, Ministers hoped that issues under these bodies will receive balanced treatment and pledged their support to the incoming COP Presidency of Morocco to ensure a successful COP-22.

16. The BASIC countries expressed concern that the draft proposal on Global Market Based Measures (GMBM) under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) may impose inappropriate economic burden on developing countries, where the international aviation market is still maturing. They urged the ICAO to develop climate change measures in a manner that is consistent with the principles of CBDR & RC, and to align the GMBM with the relevant provisions of the Paris Agreement.

17. Ministers agreed to further strengthen the cooperation and solidarity among the BASIC countries.

18. Ministers welcomed the offer of South Africa to host the 23rd BASIC Ministerial meeting. 

3rd SAARC Agriculture Ministers’ Meet on 7th April, 2016, at Dhaka, Bangladesh

3rd SAARC Agriculture Ministers’ Meet on 7th April, 2016, at Dhaka, Bangladesh

Full text of the speech given by Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh at 3^rd SAARC Agriculture Ministers’ meeting at Dhaka, Bangladesh is as follows:

“I, on behalf of the Government of India and on behalf my fellow countrymen, convey warm Greetings on the occasion of the 3^rd meeting of the SAARC Agricultural ministers and also thank the Government of Peoples’ republic of Bangladesh for hosting this important event.  The presence of Agriculture Ministers from the SAARC region reflects keen interest and strong political will of governments to make agriculture as one of the major drivers of economic and social development.

Context

            The South Asia is home to 1.567 billion people that constitute 23.7% of global population. The share of the Region in terms of global land and water resources is however much lower than the population share e.g. Region’s geographic coverage is mere 3.95% of the global land mass. Because of high population pressure on land, percentage of arable land to total area is much higher than the global average e.g. the share of the region in global arable land is 14%.

            According to the FAO report on the State of Food insecurity in the World-2015, even though there is continuing drop in global hunger yet an estimated 795 million undernourished or one in nine in the world. While comparing the regions, it is mentioned that the maximum concentration of hunger remains in Southern Asia, where as many as 281 million people are estimated to be undernourished.

            Agriculture in the region, dominated by small holdings as holdings below one hectare account for more than 60% of total farm holdings, characterized by low productivity and low farm incomes. As a result, the rise in per capita income in agriculture sector also remains below the non-agriculture sector. Moreover, the shift in workforce from agriculture to non-agricultural sectors has remained far below the expected levels implying thereby that in the years ahead, growth of agriculture sector will continue to be of paramount importance for eradication of poverty, hunger, livelihood security, and inclusive growth of the regional economies. We need to address the concerns of economic inequality and instability being faced by farming community. In this endeavour we will have to make agriculture more innovative, economically rewarding, e and intellectually stimulating, especially if we want to draw youth to take up agricultural as an occupation.  

Cooperation as the key to common development

            Agriculture in our SAARC countries has evolved along with our civilizations and culture and therefore besides being a source of food and livelihood security, it remains integral to our social customs as well. Given the importance of agriculture in our daily lives we must continuously endeavour to make agriculture robust and a main instrument of economic prosperity. Having witnessed the quantum jump in food production following the success of new Green revolution technologies in the decade of 1960s, agriculture in the region is faced by a several set of challenges loss of soil organic matter; mining of soil nutrients; build-up of weeds, diseases and pests; salinity and sodicity; falling groundwater tables and rising groundwater tables/ water logging that not only affect the agriculture locally but also have trans-boundary impacts such as climate change, natural disasters, movement of pests and disease causing organisms and require a collective remedial action.

            The focus of agriculture related research and innovation for development in the region now needs to urgently shift to making food more accessible, affordable, safe, healthy, nutritious and meet internationally accepted quality standards. Technology is the prime mover for growth. The technological interventions in certain instances are both, knowledge and capital intensive and often beyond the national capacity to handle the situations individually. It is in this context I feel that Cooperation among the regional countries through sharing of information, technology, knowledge and resources, can play a key role for mutual development by saving of precious national resources and time. 

            Climate change is now an accepted reality and, in some cases, is predicted to cause heavy damage to the Region. South Asia is among the most vulnerable regions in the world to natural disasters related to climate change. Two main dimensions of climate change, that would impact agriculture, are increased temperature and changes in precipitation pattern. These changes, taking place on a global scale, would impact local agriculture and therefore affect the local and global food supply.  We have recently undertaken preparation of District level Contingency Plans, specifically for 600 districts in the country that provide information on dos’ and don’ts  along with necessary information on technological handholding, in the event of natural calamity, particularly in situations of floods and droughts.

            Tracking the movement of pests and diseases affecting crops and animals is a critical area that requires our collective action. In the recent past we have been able to effectively control several such incidences. In wheat for instances, the development of varieties that were resistant to rust strain Ug99 could be achieved with cooperation by wheat growing countries.  The epidemics in the poultry sector were effectively dealt with through cooperation among the neigbhouring countries.

            Here I would like to mention about a successful programme, Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indi-Gangetic Plains. It was a programme of CGIAR and Regional National Agricultural research systems (NARS) of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The farmers in over 10 million hectares in the predominant rice-wheat growing areas of four countries. The effort improved capacity among collaborating institutions to undertake systems research and helped in developing and refining the resource conservation technologies (RCTs). These can be very helpful to save water and energy, reduce cost and increase farmers’ income. We must continue towards such collaborative and cooperative R&D programmes.

            SAARC countries have very rich plant and animal bio-diversity. India is one of the 12 mega centres of biodiversity and the North-eastern states have about 700 species of orchids that are endemic. It holds significant potential for future commercial use. However, there is lurking danger of loss of bio-diversity and maintaining claim of ownership over it. Each country needs to urgently prepare authentic documentation of all kind of bio-diversity resources at various bio-ecological levels and initiate necessary measures to preserve the bio-diversity. Adequate attention is also needed on documenting and patenting Intellectual Properties and Traditional Knowledge related to agriculture and animal husbandry. Increased investment, on pro-active basis, in bio-diversity and intellectual property holds enormous growth potential for each country. We have established a state-of the –art National Plant Gene Bank and we can share the extra capacity to store genetic material on mutually agreed terms.

            Rapid development of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and Telecommunication Network have paved way for creation of information network, knowledge pool and services on new agricultural technology, products and marketing of produce. The use of ICTs is very important in improving the process of technology dissemination and for the knowledge empowerment of the farmers. It’s necessary to develop farmer-friendly information network /tools to provide whole range of information leading to delivery of knowledge of new agricultural technology, products, procedures and related services – to enable them to take control of their farming environment in near future.

            Post harvest and waste management in the region has remained under developed in the region and as consequence of which a considerable quantity of farm produce is lost, especially the horticultural and animal produce. Technological interventions are needed for post harvest processing, value addition and product development, preferably near the site of production. This will not only safeguard the farm produce but more importantly result in employment generation and enhancing farmers’ income. We have to come forward to convert the unorganized food sector to organized sector but we still need to cross quite a distance.

            Human resources, competent and skilled, are the real strength of the development effort. In the days to come the strength of the nations would depend on the level of competence of the countrymen. As the saying goes, what counts more is the man behind the machine. Today, we have about 73 universities in the country that impart higher education in agriculture including veterinary and fisheries. We also admit students from other countries, especially the SAARC nations. Today there are 119 students, about 65% of the foreign students, from SAARC countries in our agricultural universities and would continue to with the arrangements for extending.

            For sustained research and development of agriculture through cooperation in the region, it would be appropriate that we devise a mechanism of regional priority setting for devising programmes and their implementation. As I see, water, genetic resources, germplasm exchange and energy are going to be critical factors agricultural development and there could be several more areas. Towards this end an enabling policy, regulatory mechanism and institutional arrangements are considered essential for the success of our endeavours. Concrete areas for cooperation and action in agriculture sector within the existing SAARC arrangements should be put in place with focused strategy.

Finally, I would like to mention that we have to sensitize the Governments, international agencies and donor agencies on the need for boosting the investments in agricultural sector. The countries or the regions that have witnessed adequate investments in agriculture are better placed in terms of food and nutritional security.  Investing in agricultural research today is a prerequisite for tomorrow’s food security. The much needed sustainability of agriculture in the region will need to be a balance of economic, social and environmental progress through appropriate application of science, use of technology and their en masse adoption through innovative practices. Let us once pledge again to work together in a cooperative manner to help each other for strengthening farming, farmers and food, nutritional, livelihood and environmental security in the region.”

President Shri Pranab Mukherjee to inaugurate the International Convention on World Homoeopathy Day on 9th April, 2016

President Shri Pranab Mukherjee to inaugurate the International Convention on World Homoeopathy Day on 9th April, 2016

The Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH), an autonomous research organization of Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and an international organisation Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis (LMHI) are jointly organizing the International Convention on World Homoeopathy Day, with the support of Ministry of AYUSH on 9-10 April, 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The event is being organized to commemorate the 261st birth anniversary of the founder of Homoeopathy, Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, who was a great scholar, linguist and acclaimed scientist. Hon’ble President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the convention. Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge), will be guest of honour.

World Homoeopathy Day, celebrated the world over to commemorate the birth anniversary of this legendary scientist, is an ideal day to stress upon the new possibilities in the global health scenario if Homoeopathy is integrated in mainstream public health. With World Health Organisation emphasising on the need of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Homoeopathy has a lot to offer to the world since it is economical, safe and effective.

The theme of the Convention is ‘Integrating Homoeopathy in healthcare’, as the Convention would aim at highlighting the health and cost benefits of integrating Homoeopathy in healthcare among the health professionals and policymakers, by way of scientific evidence and rich clinical experiences. Homoeopathy has its own distinct advantages of being safe, effective and economical, and, therefore, could contribute significantly to the health scenario of a country.

The potential of Homoeopathy remains largely unexplored and, therefore, underutilized in public health. This, despite the fact that Homoeopathy is practised in more than 80 countries of the world and is known to be effective in various communicable and non-communicable diseases chronic diseases and diseases of children and mothers.

India, today, is the world leader in Homoeopathy, in terms of infrastructure and trained resources. We have the highest number of homoeopathy colleges, dispensaries, hospitals and practitioners. This is due to the support that Homoeopathy has received from the Government of India for its advancement and spread. A number of National Health Programmes are either exclusively based on Homeopathy/ AYUSH or integrated with conventional medicine (National Campaign for Mother & Child Care, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, Swasthya Rakshan, National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) etc.). People of India have ready access to Homoeopathy in most regions and effectively use the system for many day to day and chronic ailments.

This convention will deliberate upon various significant issues in Homoeopathy. The convention include special sessions on ‘Homeopathy on cancer’, ‘Homeopathy on Mental Health, ‘Homoeopathy on Epidemics’, Homoeopathy on Public Health, Clinical Research Studies, drug validation and drug development among others. Session on basic research will try to address the usually favourite points of skeptics, like non-existence of original particles in ultrahigh dilutions, lack of understanding of mechanism of action of homoeopathic medicines, etc. Sessions on applied research will be inclusive of studies on evidence-based studies on various clinical conditions, and throw light on where we stand today in terms of level of evidence.

The exclusive public health session will discuss the ways of promoting Homoeopathy globally and chalk out the channels to enhance international cooperation among countries and to establish dialogue for promotion of Homoeopathy at political level. There will be sessions which will discuss the global scenario of Homoeopathy and challenges related to education and spread of Homoeopathy in various countries. Quality and validation related concerns for homoeopathic medicines will also be discussed at length. Strengths of Homoeopathy in veterinary diseases will also be taken up separately, as will be the subject of philosophy of Homoeopathy and its practical application. 

“Water for all: Striving together”.

President of India to attend valedictory function of India Water Week-2016 tomorrow

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will attend the valedictory function of India Water Week-2016 tomorrow (April 8, 2016) at New Delhi.

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India has been organizing India Water Week since 2012 as an international event to focus on water related issues. Three editions of India Water Week have been organized so far in 2012, 2013 and 2015. The theme for this year’s India Water week is “Water for all: Striving together”. 

Statement of Indian Law: Supreme Court through its Constitution Bench Decisions since 1950

Constitutionalism is the primary edifice on which Indian democracy stands, says President

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received today (April 7, 2016) the first copy of a book ‘Statement of Indian Law: Supreme Court through its Constitution Bench Decisions since 1950’ written by Shri Govind Goel, Advocate, Supreme Court of India. The book was released by Justice TS Thakur, Chief Justice of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said Constitutionalism is the primary edifice on which the Indian democracy stands. The rule of law is the hallmark of our democracy, due to which every Indian feels empowered, making him or her participate in nation-building with full vigour and enthusiasm.

The President said unlike the Supreme Court of the United States, where judges are appointed for a life term by the political executive keeping in view ideological preferences, judges of the Indian Supreme Court are appointed through a non-political process uninfluenced by such considerations. As a result, the law that has emerged having been interpreted by the Constitution Bench of Indian Supreme Court navigates through diverse social, economic, political, cultural, historical and ethical moors. This has made the Constitution of India a living organic document keeping pace with the changing times.

The President said Constitutional Bench decisions have exhibited a reasonable degree of durability and have left indelible footprints on the sands of time. Of the 2,296 decisions of the Constitution Bench, only about one percent have been overruled, which is considerably less than the number of constitutional amendments. Yet, there may be a possibility, and more so desirability, of revisiting the correctness or relevance of a decision as per the contemporary needs of society.

The book ‘Statement of Indian Law: Supreme Court through its Constitution Bench Decisions since 1950’ is a study of all the judgments delivered by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court of India since 1950. 

Health Minister Shri J P Nadda reviews progress on Kala Azar and Leprosy

Health Minister Shri J P Nadda reviews progress on Kala Azar and Leprosy

Directs for aggressive campaign for their removal from affected States

Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare reviewed the progress in the national programmes for Leprosy and Kala Azar, here today. Shri B P Sharma, Secretary (HFW), Dr Saumya Swaminathan, Secretary (DHR) and DG (ICMR), Dr. (Prof) Jagdish Prasad, DGHS, Shri K B Agarwal, Addl. Secretary and other senior officials of the Health Ministry were also present on this occasion.

The Union Health Minister was briefed on the progress towards elimination of Kala Azar in the affected States (Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh) covering issues such as availability of the synthetic Pyrethroid spray, manpower availability to operate the stirrup pumps, awareness campaigns undertaken by the States etc. Shri Nadda has directed for aggressive campaigns to be carried out for meeting the target dates for elimination of Kala Azar from the endemic districts. The Health Minister has also directed the Ministry to work in close coordination with the States and review the progress made by the States in the next three months.

Shri Nadda also reviewed the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP). The Health Minister was briefed on the various initiates undertaken under the programme. In order to improve detection of new cases of leprosy, an intensive house-to-house Leprosy Case Detection Drive in a campaign mode has been conducted in 50 high endemic districts in seven states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. More than 60,000 new cases were detected through this aggressive detection drive. Secretary (DHR) stated that an online reporting software with patient-tracking facility is being developed which will assist in more effective tracking and monitoring of the cases. A GIS application to correlate the distribution of the disease with epidemiological factors is already operational. Also, a taskforce with various stakeholders from different Ministries has been formed for mainstreaming of Leprosy colonies.

The Union Health Minister has directed that the active case detection drive shall be expanded to cover 163 districts, while the drive shall continue in the present 50 districts. The Union Minister and Secretary (HFW) shall review progress made by the States after three months. An expert committee shall be formed under the Chairpersonship of DG (ICMR) to recommend introduction of Mycobacterium Indicus Pranii (MIP) vaccine as an immune-prophylaxis in the high endemic states. Emphasizing on the need for enhancing awareness about the disease and sensitizing people on issues of social stigma surrounding it, Shri Nadda has also directed for a high visibility multi-media IEC campaign to be undertaken in these States among the affected communities along with capacity building of the medical and para-medical staff. 

Nita Ambani most powerful businesswoman in Asia: Forbes

SBI chairman and managing director Arundhati Bhattacharya has been ranked second on the 2016 ‘Asia’s 50 Power Businesswomen’ list

Nita Ambani most powerful businesswoman in Asia: Forbes

Reliance Industries director Nita Ambani and State Bank of India chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya have been ranked top two in Forbes’ “Asia 50 Power Businesswomen 2016” list, which acknowledges the inroads women are making in the business world, despite gender inequalities.

Including Ms. Ambani and Ms. Bhattacharya, eight Indian businesswomen have made the cut in the latest list who among them bring to the table representations from diverse business fields — banking, bio-tech, data analytics, textiles, pharma and even wellness and beauty.

“In a country where billionaire wives tend to remain in the shadow of their husbands, Nita’s rising profile in the Reliance empire is unusual and earns her a debut spot on our Power Businesswomen ranking this year,” said Forbes, which also ran a separate story on her.

Incidentally, a Reliance Group entity is a licensee for publishing Forbes India.

“As Reliance’s non-executive director, Nita has no formal operational role in the conglomerate that her husband runs as chairman and managing director. But it’s no secret that ‘Bhabhi’ — Hindi for brother’s wife — as she is called by insiders, is a power near the throne.”

Mukesh Ambani, her husband, is the group chairman.

Among her achievements, the magazine said an accidental entry into sports made her the face of her group after Reliance spent $112 million for a cricket team, snatching such icons as Sachin Tendulkar. Mumbai Indians, as he team is called, went on to win two titles after her induction.

On the flip side, the magazine said the Ambanis have been criticised for not having personally been givers, commensurate with Mr. Mukesh’s $22-billion wealth, and for moving into Antilla, a 27-storey sky palace in south Mumbai, billed as the world’s most expensive home for its $1 billion tag.

Here’s what Forbes said on other Indian women on the list:

Ms. Bhattacharya: She facing her most challenging test yet with the State Bank of India, the country’s biggest. Mounting bad loans, which stood at $11 billion in December, caused net profit to plunge more than 60 per cent to 190 million in a recent quarter.

“The days of promoters gaming the banking system are over,” she warned in February, before urging the arrest of liquor baron Vijay Mallya, whose defunct Kingfisher Airlines owes more than $1.3 billion to state-run banks.

Ambiga Dhiraj, chief executive, Mu Sigma: In February, Ms. Dhiraj became the first female boss of an Indian-owned tech unicorn when she took over Mu Sigma, a provider of data-analytics services, from husband Dhiraj Rajaram, who founded the firm in 2004. With estimated revenue of $250 million, it is valued at $1.5 billion, based on its latest funding round.

Dipali Goenka, chief executive, Welspun India: Five years ago, when Ms. Goenka took charge of home textiles maker Welspun India, the buzz in the male-dominated industry, she recalls, was: “Welspun has lost its mind.” Ms. Goenka has doubled down to disprove that.

Vinita Gupta, chief executive, Lupin: Ms. Gupta runs India’s third-largest pharmaceutical company, with $2 billion in revenue. In the past year she has spearheaded $1.2 billion in acquisitions, the biggest of which was the $880 million purchase of Gavis Pharma, giving Lupin its first manufacturing facility in the US.

Chanda Kochhar, managing director, ICICI Bank: As boss of the country’s largest private-sector lender, Ms. Kochhar has to contend with the current bane of India’s banking system: Bad loans. In a bid to retain female staff, she launched “iWork@home”, which allows employees to work from home for a year. Executives can also take children under the age of 3 on business trips, with a caregiver, at the bank’s expense.

Vandana Luthra, vice chair, VLCC Health Care: Ms. Luthra pioneered the concept of a beauty and wellness chain in India. She opened her centre in New Delhi in 1989, offering weight management as well as hair and skin treatments, and now has 313 centres in 11 countries in Asia, the Middle East and East Africa.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chair, Biocon: Amid a volatile stock market, the founder of Biocon took its thriving research arm, Syngene International, public last August. With a recent market cap of $1.1 billion Syngene shares are up more than 52 per cent. The self-made Mazumdar-Shaw has positioned Biocon as a large player in insulin. Biocon is the only Asian firm ranked among the top 20 biotech employers worldwide by Science magazine.