A three-day Training of Trainers (ToT) programme on “Freedom from Violence: Capacity Building of Elected Women Representatives on Legal Provisions for the Safety and Security of Women” was organised by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj from 25th to 27th May 2026 in New Delhi. The programme was conducted under the Ministry’s Nirbhay Raho initiative being implemented through the Nirbhaya Fund in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. The programme aimed to strengthen the capacities of Elected Women Representatives and Panchayat representatives on issues relating to women’s safety, legal awareness, gender sensitivity, institutional response mechanisms and community-level support systems. Around 50 participants attended the programme, including representatives from State Institutes of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (SIRD&PRs), School of Excellence in Panchayati Raj (SoEPR) under the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR), Piramal Foundation, and Transform Rural India Foundation (TRIF). The inaugural session was addressed by Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj along with Dr. Surendrakumar Bagde, Director General, IIPA.  

In his keynote address, Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, highlighted the important role of Panchayati Raj Institutions in strengthening awareness, inclusion, and access to justice at the grassroots level. He emphasised that informed and sensitised Panchayat leadership can play a significant role in addressing issues relating to women’s safety, dignity, and security while also strengthening responsive community support systems and institutional mechanisms in rural areas. He shared that under the Ministry’s Nirbhay Raho initiative launched under the Nirbhaya Fund on 11th March 2026, three major interventions are being implemented to strengthen women’s safety and gender-responsive governance in Panchayats. These include Nirbhay Netri, focused on capacity building and legal awareness of Elected Women Representatives; Nirbhay Chetna, aimed at sensitising elected male representatives towards gender equality and women-related issues; and Nirbhay Drishti, which envisages installation of CCTV cameras at strategic rural locations to strengthen technology-enabled safety infrastructure in Panchayats. He informed that the initiative aims to reach nearly 14.5 lakh Elected Women Representatives and around 17.5 lakh Male Elected Representatives across the country through training, awareness, and institutional capacity-building programmes.

Prof. (Dr.) Sairam Bhat, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru in his address highlighted the need to strengthen legal literacy, gender sensitivity, and survivor-centred approaches at the grassroots level. He emphasised that Panchayat representatives can emerge as effective agents of social transformation by promoting awareness, strengthening local support systems, and facilitating access to justice and institutional remedies for women.

The three-day program covered a wide range of issues relating to gender-based violence, domestic violence, child marriage, cyber safety, survivor support systems, legal remedies, victim compensation, community participation and first responder mechanisms at the Panchayat level. The training adopted a participatory and practice-oriented approach through expert lectures, group discussions, case studies, moot court exercises, role-play simulations and experiential learning methods. Sessions during the programme were conducted by eminent legal experts, academicians and practitioners while  discussions focused on practical understanding of legal provisions, strengthening survivor-sensitive institutional responses, improving referral and reporting mechanisms, and equipping trainers with field-level knowledge for community engagement.The programme concluded with participant feedback and deliberations on scaling up the initiative across States and Union Territories through a cascading model of training.  This  initiative is an important step towards building more inclusive, responsive and women-friendly Panchayats, while strengthening community-led efforts for women’s safety and dignity in rural India.

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