Women learn to play new role in panchayat

NASHIK: It was not merely an entry into the local panchayat, but a feeling of being important that changed the life of Bharati Patil.

Once groveling in low self-esteem and denied entry into the male bastions of her village at Chalisgaon, Patil is now a member of the gram panchayat, thanks to the leadership training programme by Aagaaz Academy, a Delhi-based NGO, in tandem with Abhivyakti- media for development, a Nashik NGO.

Apart from her official duty, Bharati now helps in the workshop on elected women’s representatives from the local self government. The programme is supported by the Federation of Women Elected Representatives of Norway.  The training focuses on personal empowerment, developing self-esteem and imparting knowledge on various issues in life. The women are trained in constituency building.

“I was shy to attend the panchayat meetings. The training changed my perspective. It gave me the confidence to exercise my right as an elected member of the panchayat,” she said.

The Academy holds three training schedules for one batch. The women representatives from the first batch were felicitated in New Delhi by the president APJ Abdul Kalam.