Govt to hold workshops on making panchayats women-friendly on March 4-5

The government is set to hold workshops for women representatives from all three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), focused on developing at least one model women-friendly gram panchayat in each district, an official said.

Ahead of International Women's Day on March 8, over 1,200 women panchayat leaders will attend the workshops on women-led local governance.

The Panchayati Raj Ministry official said the workshops will be held on March 4-5. They are aimed at making PRIs more women-centric and strengthening grassroots democracy.

The workshops will focus on the crucial role of women elected representatives (WERs) in rural local governance and discuss the strategic roadmap of the Panchayati Raj Ministry to enhance their leadership and ensure their active participation in decision-making.

Outstanding women leaders in panchayats will be felicitated at the workshops.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has urged states and Union territories to include women officers in the delegation of panchayat representatives attending the National Workshop and Convention of Panchayat Women Representatives, wherever possible.

A National Convention of Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats will be held on March 5, which will focus on developing at least one model gram panchayat in each district that is women and girl-friendly.

The official added that two rounds of training for master trainers have already been completed. This initiative is being led by Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj.

Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', Minister of State Raj S P Singh Baghel, MoS for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse will be among those who will attend the events.

A primer on gender laws and the role of panchayat and a training module on WERs would also be released.

The conventions will also have panel discussions on related topics.

On March 8, a nationwide 'Mahila Gram Sabha' will be organised across all panchayats to celebrate International Women's Day. Special training programmes will also be conducted in selected panchayats.