Women panchayat heads, 'lakhpati didis' to be special guests at I-Day event

Around 400 women representatives from Panchayati Raj Institutions have been invited as special guests to the 78th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to officials from the rural development ministry, around 45 "Lakhpati Didis" and around 30 "Drone Didis" have also been invited as special guests to attend the Independence Day celebrations. They will be felicitated by Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday.

The Namo Drone Didi and Lakhpati Didi schemes are among the important initiatives of the government for fostering economic empowerment and financial autonomy among women in rural areas.

Under the Namo Drone Didi scheme, subsidies are provided to women self-help groups (SHGs) on the purchase of drones. A "Lakhpati Didi" is an SHG member whose annual income is Rs 1 lakh or more.

The women Panchayati Raj representatives will be facilitated by Minister of Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh "Lalan" on Wednesday.

A national workshop will also be organised for them on Wednesday. It will be addressed by Kiran Bedi, former lieutenant governor of Puducherry and founder, Navjyoti India Foundation, and senior ministry officials. The workshop will explore the evolving role of women representatives as well as address the practice of "Sarpanch Pati" at the grassroots level.

As part of the felicitation ceremony, the multi-lingual eGramSwaraj platform will be launched in collaboration with Bhashini. This innovative initiative will make the portal accessible in all 22 scheduled languages of India, greatly enhancing its reach and usability across diverse linguistic communities. State-wise panchayat profiles, which include basic statistics on PRIs, will also be released.

The ministry said the visit of the panchayat representatives to the national capital has been designed as a comprehensive and enriching experience, and will also include a visit to the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya.