Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats (MWFGP)
 
Why in news?
 
The Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats (MWFGP) is a gender-inclusive governance initiative launched by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India, on March 5, 2025 as part of International Women’s Day celebrations.
 
Supported by State Institutes of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (SIRD&PRs) and international organizations like UNFPA.
 
Objective
 

• The primary goal of MWFGP is to establish at least one Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayat in each district across India. These Gram Panchayats are model units designed to serve as role models for gender-sensitive, safe, inclusive, and girl-friendly governance at the grassroots level.

 
Key Features and Components
 

• Gender-sensitive governance framework: Ensures safety, equity, and inclusivity for women and girls.
• Capacity-building programs: Specialized training for elected representatives and officials to develop leadership and governance skills, especially empowering women leaders.
• Real-time Monitoring Dashboard: A digital platform launched to track progress, provide data insights, and guide interventions for the initiative.
• Nationwide Mahila Gram Sabhas: Held on March 8, 2025, to promote women’s participation in governance and discuss local issues related to gender equality.
• Focus Areas: Enhancing women's safety through improved infrastructure (e.g., street lighting, women’s help desks), promoting economic empowerment (via self-help groups and entrepreneurship), improving healthcare and education (maternal health, menstrual hygiene, girls’ education), and fostering women’s leadership and participation in local governance.

 
Broader Context and Support
 

• This initiative complements efforts like the Sashakt Panchayat-Netri Abhiyan, a capacity-building campaign aimed at strengthening leadership among Women Elected Representatives (WERs) in Panchayati Raj Institutions.
• International organizations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are involved in supporting the initiative, providing technical assistance and sharing best practices from successful models in Kerala, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
• The initiative also addresses social issues like gender-based violence through educational primers for elected representatives and works toward eliminating the “Pradhan Pati/Sarpanch Pati” culture to ensure independent authority of women leaders.

 
Scale and Impact
 

• 770 Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats have been selected, one in each district across India, to lead this gender-sensitive governance transformation.
• The initiative is expected to promote a safer, more inclusive rural governance ecosystem, thereby contributing to the larger vision of a developed India ("Viksit Bharat") through empowered Panchayats ("Viksit Panchayats").

 
In summary, the MWFGP initiative is a landmark program to foster women’s leadership, safety, and participation in rural governance, aiming to transform Gram Panchayats nationwide into safer, equitable, and gender-inclusive institutions.

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