Congratulations! It’s a girl.

Even today, this announcement does not evoke the same joy in every household in India.

On this International Day of the Girl Child, I feel deeply grateful for a journey shaped by access to education, opportunity, and belief in my potential.  Yet, I am reminded that what is considered basic for some is a privilege for many—and denied to millions of girls in India, whose fate is too often curtailed by deep-rooted bias.

Even in 2025, she is treated as the “second gender.” She eats only after her brother has finished; she drops out of school because of an unsupportive environment. Her childhood ends in early marriage, limiting her potential long before she even has a chance to imagine a different future.

Data according to NFHS-5 paints a stark picture. In Bihar, 31% of women still prefer sons over daughters. The secondary school dropout rate of girls stands at 21%. Without education, she steps into motherhood unprepared. In Bihar, 63% of pregnant women are anaemic. In Jharkhand, 32% of young women are married before the age of 18, and among tribal women, nearly 39% report facing intimate partner violence.

The latest Lancet study reveals an alarming truth. Across India, nearly one in three girls experiences sexual violence before the age of 18.

Violence, stigma, and restricted mobility are limiting not just individual lives; they are holding back half of our population, affecting both community and national development.

The late Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, had said "Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development, and building good governance."

Every time a girl is empowered to lead—in classrooms, villages, or boardrooms—she reshapes her community’s future. To unlock this potential, we must ensure proper nutrition, safe schools, menstrual hygiene facilities, and strict enforcement against child marriage, while challenging norms that devalue girls. Equally vital is investing in their confidence and leadership—because change begins with belief.

Beyond data

Whenever we talk about development, we mostly turn to numbers. But I have always believed that true transformation lives in human stories. At Piramal Foundation, I have witnessed how systems change when communities, especially women and youth, are placed at the centre.

When I see a young girl step confidently into a classroom where she once felt timid, or when I hear a father proudly say he will delay his daughter’s marriage so she can pursue higher education, I am reminded that empowerment is deeply personal.

Stories like these reflect the resilience of girls and young leaders who are breaking cycles of inequity and reshaping community attitudes toward the role and rights of girls. Their courage creates ripples of empowerment across generations.

Livelihood opportunities created through fellowship models are bridging last-mile gaps—guiding mothers on safe deliveries, supporting adolescents with menstrual health, and ensuring access to government services. Their journeys remind us that empathy meets opportunity, and powerful change agents emerge.

Women community leaders like Aradhana Tripathi of Sonbhadra’s Bahuar village, who once fought for her own right to education, now leads as Sarpanch, rehabilitating schools, reviving health services, building a supportive environment so that no girl has to give up her studies for household chores or early marriage.

Towards Viksit Bharat 2047

As we look towards 2047, the centenary of India’s independence, gender equity is a strategic barrier. By investing in youth leadership, adolescent empowerment, and systemic community engagement, we can progress towards meeting SDG 3 (Health), SDG 4 (Education), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). Most importantly, it builds the foundation for Viksit Bharat 2047, where every girl’s potential is harnessed to drive national growth and resilience.

For me, the dream is not just about development of a country alone. It is also about justice. It is about every individual getting the rightful opportunity to contribute to nation building.

On this International Day of the Girl Child, let us recognise and support this unstoppable movement. The India of 2047 will not be built solely by policies and infrastructure; it will be built by the courage of every girl who dares to dream, and by the systems we strengthen to ensure her dreams can flourish.

The author is vice chairperson, Piramal Group. Views are personal.