India News | Ensure People Get Benefits of Central Schemes, Anupriya Patel Tells Women Panchayat Representatives

New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) Union Minister Anupriya Patel on Wednesday urged women panchayat representatives to ensure that the benefits of central schemes like Ayushman Bharat reach people in villages.

Speaking at the National Convention of Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats, the Minister of State for Health said the Modi government changed the perspective of ‘women-centric development’ to ‘women-led development’.

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“Since Independence, all governments have talked about women-centric development, but the Modi government changed this and presented a new concept — women-led development,” she said.

The minister said that women elected representatives play a key role in ensuring that central government schemes reach the most vulnerable. She stressed the importance of a top-down approach and mentioned that the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed to ensure women’s participation in governance.

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“While we need to include women in governance at the grassroots level, we also have to focus on those who are struggling with their day-to-day lives,” she said. “Unless we fulfill their basic necessities, they can’t participate in nation-building.”

She pointed out that many women do not even have access to toilets, which has led to several incidents of violence against them. Additionally, girls drop out of schools where there are no toilets.

The minister said the workshop focused on the 2030 agenda, which includes the creation of women-friendly panchayats as an important goal.

Calling health and nutrition critical issues, she emphasised that panchayat leaders serve as a link between the government and rural populations and can ensure that schemes are implemented on the ground. “Your contributions will have an impact on our national indicators,” she said.

She urged that the Village Health, Sanitation, and Nutrition Committee should be present in every village and panchayat representatives should ensure that committee meetings are held regularly.

Patel also discussed the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which provides Rs 5 lakh in insurance, and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, which offer a range of healthcare services, including geriatric care, mental health care, and cancer screening.

Minister of State for Panchayati Raj S P Singh Baghel also urged panchayat representatives to ensure that government schemes reach the rural population and stressed women-led development. He pointed out that the ‘Pradhan Pati,’ ‘Sarpanch Pati,’ or ‘Mukhiya Pati’ system — a practice where a male relative wields real power in place of the elected woman representative — has caused significant harm to women leaders.

He asked panchayat representatives to ensure that people benefit from schemes like Ujjwala and PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima.

The workshop focused on training panchayat representatives to develop at least one model gram panchayat in each district that is women-friendly.

A Virtual Training Program for Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats and a comprehensive Real-Time Monitoring Dashboard for gauging the progress of these women-friendly gram panchayats in India were launched at the event.

This digital platform is a technological intervention to measure, analyse, and improve women’s participation and welfare at the grassroots level. The dashboard promises real-time insights and data-driven interventions to support women leaders in the country.

On March 8, a nationwide Mahila Gram Sabha will be organised across all panchayats to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Special training programs will also be conducted in identified gram panchayats to enhance women’s participation in local governance and ensure the effective implementation of women-centric policies.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, Pune Media Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)

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