Bhubaneswar: Two women scientists, including Elina Mishra from Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, on Saturday took over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s social media account to share their work and experiences.
Paying tribute to ‘nari shakti’ on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the PM announced that his social media properties will be handled by several women achievers for the day. “We bow to our Nari Shakti on #WomensDay! Our Government has always worked for empowering women, reflecting in our schemes and programmes. Today, as promised, my social media properties will be taken over by women who are making a mark in diverse fields,” he tweeted.
Elina and fellow scientist Shilpi Soni from Madhya Pradesh recounted their success stories in a series of tweets.
“Space technology, nuclear technology and women empowerment… We are Elina Mishra, a nuclear scientist and Shilpi Soni, a space scientist and we are thrilled to be helming the PM’s social media properties on #WomensDay. Our message- India is the most vibrant place for science and thus, we call upon more women to pursue it,” they said in a joint post.
“It was unimaginable that a sector like nuclear technology would offer so many opportunities for women in India. Similarly, the increasing participation of women and the private sector in the world of space makes India the most happening place to innovate and grow! Indian women surely have the talent and India surely has the right platform! Read on to know more about our individual work too…” the post read.
Elina said that her dream of working in the scientific field became true when she was selected at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. She also credited her father for her interest and inquisitiveness for science. “I am Elina Mishra and I hail from Bhubaneswar, Odisha. I come from a family with a strong academic background and thus, they created a ripe environment to learn science. My interest and inquisitiveness for science developed due to my father, who is my inspiration and whom I have seen relentlessly working towards his research. My dream of working in the scientific domain was fulfilled when I was selected in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai.”
“… I was fortunate enough to be associated with a group working in the field of electromagnetism, accelerator physics and technology. I was associated with the development of magnetic and RF (Radio Frequency) characterisation of Drift Tube Linac cavities for Low Energy High Intensity Proton Accelerator (LEHIPA). It was indeed a very proud and satisfying moment when a 20 MeV proton beam was successfully accelerated,” she remarked on Narendra Modi’s X handle.
She further mentioned about how they indigenously designed and developed several focusing quadrupole magnets and beam steering dipole corrector magnets for 800 MeV Proton Improvement Plan (PIP-II) project of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Chicago under Indian Institutes Fermilab Collaboration (IIFC).
“Owing to the fact that at remote and rural locations, primary health care diagnosis and imaging facilities are sparse in number, a novel solution has been devised for a low-cost, compact, portable, cryo-free, lightweight system which can be easily transported to remote areas. Towards this, we have designed and developed a Halbach based permanent magnet dipole with an in-built magnetic field gradient for medical applications. A lot of this may sound technical but it is certainly satisfying and also shows how nuclear technology can improve lives!” she added.
Chess Grandmaster Vaishali was also among the women who handled PM Modi’s social media properties for the day.
Check the post of the two women scientists here
Space technology, nuclear technology and women empowerment…
We are Elina Mishra, a nuclear scientist and Shilpi Soni, a space scientist and we are thrilled to be helming the PM’s social media properties on #WomensDay.
Our message- India is the most vibrant place for science… pic.twitter.com/G2Qi0j0LKS
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2025
