On 29 January 2026, Travancore House, New Delhi became the setting for a different kind of conversation. UDDITA – Pathways to Global Markets & PSU Access was not designed as a motivational forum. It was built as a working ecosystem platform—one that brought women-led MSMEs face-to-face with policymakers, public sector institutions, export bodies, banks, and ecosystem enablers to decode access to institutional and global markets.
Institutional markets—such as PSUs, government platforms, export systems, and large corporate procurement—offer scale, stability, and long-term opportunity. Yet for many women entrepreneurs, these systems remain complex and opaque. UDDITA was conceived to address exactly this gap: not by simplifying ambition, but by simplifying understanding.
Organized by Women Listed, COWE Haryana Chapter, Womennovator, and WEC – IamSMEofIndia, and guided by the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), an initiative of NITI Aayog, UDDITA brought together a powerful coalition of institutions and women-led businesses committed to building readiness before access
A Room Anchored by Policy and Institutions
The presence of Ms. Bansuri Swaraj, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, as Chief Guest reinforced the Government’s continued commitment to strengthening women-led enterprises. In her address, she emphasised the importance of platforms like UDDITA that make institutional systems more accessible, and the need for more women to step forward and lead at scale.
Ms. Anna Roy, Principal Economic Adviser, NITI Aayog, spoke about the role of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) in strengthening the ecosystem for women founders. She also shared how WEP is improving discoverability and access to credible business support through its newly launched Business Development Page, aimed at reducing confusion and search costs for entrepreneurs while enabling ecosystem partners to reach verified demand.
Adding to the policy perspective, Ms. Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME, highlighted the Ministry’s ongoing efforts across formalization, market access, credit facilitation, and capacity building, reinforcing that women-led enterprises are a national priority.
Decoding Exports and PSU Procurement
Two focused panel discussions formed the backbone of UDDITA, offering women-led MSMEs rare, first-hand clarity on navigating exports and institutional procurement systems.
Panel 1: Exports & Global Market Access
The Exports & Global Market Access panel was moderated by Dr. Ajay Sahai, Director General & CEO, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). The discussion brought together senior export and trade leaders including Dr. Abhay Sinha, Director General, Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC); Ms. Aarti Pandey, Deputy General Manager, ECGC; Ms. Chitra Raste, Regional Head, India Exim Bank; Ms. Manisha Malhotra, Vice President – Customer Services, DP World; and Ms. Shashi Nangia, Managing Director, Swati Exim Pvt. Ltd.
Panelists unpacked critical aspects of export readiness, including documentation requirements, compliance frameworks, risk mitigation, trade finance, and realistic entry points into global markets. The session helped demystify exports for first-time and growth-stage women entrepreneurs looking to scale beyond domestic markets.
Panel 2: PSU & Institutional Procurement
The PSU & Institutional Procurement panel was moderated by Mr. Ashok Suyal, Resident Mentor, NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore. The panel featured procurement and institutional leaders from across key public sector and financial institutions, including Ms. Mohua Basu, Executive Director – Procurement, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL); CMA Manoj Kumar Anand, Chairman, PD & CPE Committee, Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI); Mr. Shailendra Kumar Rawat, Chief Workshop Engineer (NR), Indian Railways; Ms. Ruby Pahuja, Assistant General Manager, SIDBI; Mr. Shailendra Kumar Tiwari, General Manager – Corporate Contracts & Materials, NTPC; and Mr. Anurag Awasthi, Chief Manager – Social Impact & Inclusive Seller Growth, Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
This panel offered practical insights into procurement readiness, vendor onboarding, tender participation, compliance expectations, and how women-led MSMEs can align their capabilities with institutional buying requirements.
From Conversations to Capability
Beyond panels, technical sessions by FIEO, GeM, and NSRCEL offered step-by-step grounding on ecosystem readiness and market entry. Mr. Akshay Khare, Assistant Manager, NSRCEL, walked participants through venture support and capability-building pathways, while Mr. Vivek Agarwal, MD, Defrail Technologies Limited, shared a real PSU vendor success journey. A special address by Mr. Vidya Sagar Singh, Senior General Manager & Head – Digital Services, NSIC, outlined digital, financial, and institutional support available to MSMEs.
What UDDITA Made Clear
Four insights stood out strongly:
- Women entrepreneurs are ready; systems need clarity.
The challenge is not capability, but translation. Many institutional systems assume prior knowledge that first-time founders often lack. - The demand is for clarity over motivation.
Entrepreneurs are not intimidated by scale—only by unclear processes. - Institutional engagement works best when made usable.
Readiness parameters, documentation basics, and credibility building blocks matter more than aspiration alone. - Collaboration beats silos.
Cross-sector dialogue created a shared language between founders and institutions.
The Road Ahead
UDDITA is not a one-day intervention. It is envisioned as a long-term platform focused on PSU procurement readiness, GeM onboarding, export preparedness, compliance frameworks, and institutional capability building. The way forward includes structured learning tracks, curated founder-institution dialogues, quarterly engagements, and expansion across states to ensure broader, inclusive access.
At its core, UDDITA reaffirmed a simple truth: access works best when preparation meets the right ecosystem — and that is the future Women Listed is committed to building.
