♦ The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the 26th edition of its publication 'Women and Men in India 2024:

♦ Selected Indicators and Data' on 6 April 2025.

♦ The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for women aged 15 and above improved significantly, rising from 49.8% in 2017-18 to 60.1% in 2023-2, the report said.

♦ In the financial sector, women own 39.2% of all bank accounts and contribute to 39.7% of total deposits, with their presence most prominent in rural areas, where they account for 42.2% of account holders.

♦ Between March 2021 and November 2024, the number of DEMAT accounts surged from 33.26 million to 143.02 million.

♦ Of these. the number of women account holders rose from 6.67 million in 2021 to 27.71 million in 2024.

♦ The number of male and female voters grew from 173.2 million in 1952 to 978 million in 2024, with an increasing share of females.

♦ In the 2024 general elections, female voter turnout (65.8%) surpassed male turnout, even as it dipped slightly from 67.2% in 2019.

♦ The number of startups recognized by DPIIT with at least one woman director rose sharply from 1,943 in 2017 to 17,405 in 2024.