New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj emphasised that the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 cannot be realised without ensuring the safety, dignity, and equal participation of women, an official said on Saturday.
Addressing participants at the Nirbhay Chetna initiative for sensitising men towards women-related issues, Bharadwaj highlighted the pivotal role of Panchayats as institutions of social and democratic transformation, capable of driving meaningful change in attitudes and behaviours at the grassroots level.
Emphasising the objective of Nirbhay Chetna, which was held from June 17 to 19, he noted on Friday that the initiative seeks to foster gender-sensitive leadership by positioning women’s dignity, safety, and opportunities as essential pillars of development, said an official statement.
Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, emphasised that ensuring the safety and dignity of women is a collective societal responsibility.
He highlighted the critical role of Panchayats in fostering gender-responsive governance and creating a safer, more enabling environment for women and girls.
He noted that Nirbhay Chetna aims to build awareness, sensitivity, and accountability among male elected representatives, empowering them to champion women’s safety, dignity, leadership and empowerment within their communities.
Nirbhay Chetna is a key intervention under the Nirbhay Raho initiative, launched on March 11, 2026, which comprises three complementary components, said the statement.
Nirbhay Netri focuses on capacity-building and legal awareness among elected women representatives, and Nirbhay Chetna seeks to sensitise elected male representatives on gender equality and women’s safety, it said.
Nirbhay Drishti envisages the installation of CCTV cameras at strategic rural locations to strengthen technology-enabled safety infrastructure in Panchayats.
Under Nirbhay Chetna, a cadre of 28,500 Master Trainers is being developed at the State, district, and block levels to reach over 17.5 lakh male elected representatives across the country, said the statement.
The three-day programme also marked the launch of the Nirbhay Chetna training module, developed by Transform Rural India.
The initiative seeks to create a cadre of master trainers who will engage male elected representatives on gender equality, women’s safety, rights, and leadership within Panchayati Raj Institutions.
The pilot batch comprised around 40 master trainers from Assam, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttarakhand. They will serve as the foundation for a cascading training model to be expanded across all States and Union Territories.
–IANS
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