In a proud moment for Maharashtra, Ms Varsha Ankush Patil from Maharashtra - Kolhapur district was felicitated by Annpurna Devi, Hon’ble Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Govt of India at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025 for her pathbreaking work in grassroots education. Ms Patil was presented the prestigious CII Woman Exemplar Award 2025 under the Education category at a special session titled “Women Leading the Charge for Social Change.”

This year, a new award category—Community Strengthening—was introduced to honour women who are building community resilience against systemic challenges and vulnerabilities.

Highlights:

• Annpurna Devi, Minister of Women and Child Development felicitated Varsha Ankush Patil from Kolhapur District, Maharashtra, for her outstanding work in Education.

About Varsha Patil

• At just 31, Varsha Patil is revolutionizing rural education in Maharashtra through experiential STEM learning.

• Raised in Abdullat village, Varsha saw how rote learning hindered children’s curiosity and creativity.

• In 2016, she co-founded the Vidyoday Muktangan Parivar Foundation to bring hands-on, inquiry-based education to underserved communities, especially the children of migrant workers.

• Through her flagship initiatives—Chote Kalam, Chote Scientist, Sevankur, and Vidyankur—she has reached over 6,700 students and 40 teachers, fostering critical thinking and a scientific mindset in classrooms that once lacked basic engagement tools.

• Her efforts are not just improving academic performance but also empowering a generation of rural children to dream bigger and think differently.

Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, said that CII has been recognising grassroots women leaders since 2005. He mentioned that the women have done tremendous work to drive social change and are capable of doing so much more with the right support.