The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) will organise a one-day national conference of Women Elected Representatives (WERs) of panchayats under the Sashakt Panchayat–Netri Abhiyan on March 11 in New Delhi.
Union Minister of Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj S.P. Singh Baghel and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse will attend the event.
Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj Vivek Bhardwaj, senior officials from the ministry and around 700 participants, including women elected representatives and representatives from UN agencies, are also expected to participate.
The conference will mark one year of the launch of the Sashakt Panchayat–Netri Abhiyan and serve as a national platform to promote women-led grassroots governance in India.
During the event, outstanding Beacon Women Panchayat Leaders identified by state and Union Territory governments will be honoured.
The ministry will also launch a compendium of best practices of model women-friendly gram panchayats and stories of transformation highlighting women as agents of change in rural governance. Initiatives related to Nirbhaya under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj will also be unveiled.
The conference will feature two technical sessions focusing on women’s leadership and decision-making in rural governance and the development of model women-friendly gram panchayats.
The Sashakt Panchayat–Netri Abhiyan was launched on March 4, 2025, as a targeted capacity-building initiative aimed at strengthening the leadership and governance role of women elected representatives at the grassroots.
Under the revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), the ministry has trained 7,18,434 women elected representatives in 2025–26 and capacitated 1,21,512 representatives, including master trainers, through a specialised training module titled “Championing Change: Empowering Women Leaders in Local Governance and Beyond”.
In addition, 744 model women-friendly gram panchayats have been identified across 32 states and Union Territories, with dedicated dashboards tracking progress on indicators such as governance participation, health and nutrition, education and skill development, economic opportunities, and safety and security.
