New Delhi/Pune :  6 January 2025    

 

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India, in collaboration with Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, Government of Maharashtra, is organizing a 2-Day National Workshop on Best Practices of Model Women Friendly Gram Panchayat at Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA), Pune on 8–9 January 2026 to share exemplary practices and build capacity of Gram Panchayats in fostering gender equality and women’s empowerment at grassroots level.

Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj will inaugurate the workshop on Thursday in the presence of Shri Eknath Rajaram Dawale, Principal Secretary, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, Government of Maharashtra, Shri Niranjan Kumar Sudhansu, DG, YASHADA, Shri Vipul Ujwal, Director, MoPR, and Dr Deepa Prasad, Chief, Programmes and Technical Support, UNFPA India.

Around 240 participants from 13 States and UTs namely Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana including elected representatives, Secretaries of Best Performing MWFGPs, Block Development Officers, Directors of State Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (SIRD&PR), and State Nodal Officers are attending the workshop.

The workshop will focus on five thematic areas namely Participation in Governance, Health & Nutrition, Education and Skill Development, Access to Economic Opportunities, and Safety & Security. Best Performing Model Women Friendly Gram Panchayats will share their innovative strategies and approaches through presentations and panel discussions. Participants will be trained on dashboard indicators and portal features for tracking progress.

The workshop aims to develop MWFGPs as Experiential Learning Centers and provide platform for exchange of best practices across participating States and UTs.

BACKGROUND

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj launched the Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats Initiative on 5^th March, 2025 with an aim to establish at least one Model Gram Panchayat in each District that is both women and girl friendly. States and Union Territories selected the Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats based on defined criteria, including Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) Version 1.0 composite and Theme-wise scores under Theme 9 of the Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs), consultations with concerned line Departments such as Women and Child Development, and inputs from organizations working in the field of women’s development.

Under Theme 9 of LSDGs, a total of 744 Gram Panchayats across 32 States and UTs have been identified as Model Women Friendly Gram Panchayats. The Ministry has developed a dedicated MWFGP Dashboard with 35 indicators under six sub-themes to monitor progress. Master Trainers have been engaged to build capacity and provide mentor support to these Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats.

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PIB Pune | Harshal Akude / Priti Malandkar

 

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