Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said here on Friday that the country needs to bridge the gap in gender equality to accelerate economic growth. He was inaugurating ‘Panchayat Se Parliament Tak’ a programme for women representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions and local bodies in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan.
Speaking on women-led development, Mr. Birla said women in the country are at the forefront of development in all fields. “However, we need to bridge the gap so that the current pace of development is accelerated. Without gender equality, it will be difficult to overcome the current challenges of poverty alleviation, economic growth, sustainable development and environmental protection,” he added.
Mr. Birla called for making panchayats “agents of change” at the village level and observed that panchayats are emerging as the lifeblood of rural development. He urged women representatives to share the best practices among themselves. Observing that panchayats have been given the responsibility of formulating and implementing plans for economic development and social justice, he noted that they have an important role to play in the effective and efficient implementation of flagship programmes for the rejuvenation of rural India. “Therefore, it is necessary to have a strong panchayat to build a self-reliant village. The stronger the panchayat system is, the more powerful each person under it will be, and only then will the foundation of the democracy be strengthened,” said Mr. Birla.
The Speaker said as public representatives, women sarpanchs’ role is to strengthen democracy and give shape to the hopes and aspirations of rural people. “Panchayats should set their own priorities, formulate their own plans and implement them with the participation of villagers and their elected representatives or leaders,” he added.
More than 500 women representatives from panchayats and urban local bodies from diverse backgrounds and different States attended the programme.
