Prior to International Women’s Day (March 8), the Central Government has launched a special campaign to empower the leadership and decision -making ability of the elected women representatives in Panchayati Raj Institutions. The initiative was launched on Tuesday in the presence of more than 1,200 women panchayat leaders under the ‘Saddak Panchayat-Natri Abhiyan’. On this occasion, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj also released a primer giving detailed information about the safety and empowerment of women and girls.
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Big step towards banning ‘sarpanch husband’ practice
The main objective of the campaign is to curb practices like ‘Sarpanch Pati’, in which their husband or male relatives handle the real reins of the panchayat in place of the elected female representatives.
- The Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has recommended strict punishment in matters of ‘proxy leadership’.
- The committee has also suggested to prepare a concrete action plan to promote capacity building, counseling and monitoring of women leaders.
Leaders raised strict objections to ‘proxy leadership’
Union Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi and Minister of State for Panchayati Raj S.P. Singh Baghel strongly criticized the weakening of the leadership of women in the name of ‘sarpanch husband’, ‘chief husband’ and ‘Pradhan Pati’.
- Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse called upon women to lead with confidence.
- He himself started his political life as the sarpanch of the Gram Panchayat in Maharashtra, which revealed the importance of the real participation of women at the panchayat level.
Emphasis on legal empowerment to women panchayat leaders
The primer released under this campaign will provide detailed information about legal rights to women representatives.
- It has important information related to domestic violence, harassment at workplace, child abuse, child marriage, feticide, human trafficking and cyber crimes.
- Digital offenses such as online harassment, cyber stocking, identity theft and hacking have also been highlighted.
