The State Government has prohibited participation of husbands of woman sarpanchs in the meetings of panchayats as part of measures for further empowerment of elected woman representatives and to strengthen their role in rural development. Panchayats and Rural Development Department has issued orders in this regard.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed the need to end the sarpanch-husband culture at a function marking National Panchayats Day in New Delhi on Friday. He had also said that all elected women representatives of panchayats should be provided full opportunities to work so that they can participate in the development of the village with self-confidence. The Prime Minister had said that elected women representatives are playing an important role in the panchayat raj system. Therefore, efforts to empower them must be boosted further.
A meeting chaired by Panchayats and Rural Development Minister Gopal Bhargava at the Mantralaya on Saturday was held in deference to the wishes of Prime Minister Modi to end unnecessary interference by sarpach-husbands in the meetings and proceedings of panchayats. Strict action will be taken if sarpanch-husband and other male members of female representatives are included in panchayat proceedings. Directives have been given to district administration, zila, janpad and gram panchayats to ensure compliance of the orders. Union Panchayat Secretary Vijay Anand and ACS Panchayats and Rural Development Aruna Sharma and other officers were present at the meeting.
Bhargava directed that gram sabhas and meetings of gram panchayats should be video-graphed. These meetings will be monitored by the State Government.
If it is found in enquiries of Commissioner of Panchayat Raj and other senior officers that any meeting of gram sabha and gram panchayat is conducted by a male in place of elected woman representative, then proceedings should be started to remove the concerned woman sarpanch after giving her due hearing.
ACS Sharma informed that women sarpanchs have been entrusted with important responsibilities to improve school education in their respective jurisdictions, ensure students' attendance, motivate them to attend the school, time-to-time health examination and vaccination of students, ensure sanitation and cleaning of school toilets and monitoring of mid-day meal scheme. Intensive training programme has been introduced to train women panchayat representatives regarding conduct of panchayat raj system and computer operation.
It is noteworthy that 50 per cent seats in zila, janpad and gram panchayats have been reserved for women to ensure their maximum participation. Women are playing important role in the all-round development of the villages. Training and guidance booklets in easy and simple language have been sent to all gram panchayats. The booklets contain information about the powers of panchayats' elected woman representatives and guidance to conduct panchayat proceedings.