**Executive Summary**
This document reports on a two-day National Workshop held in Pune on January 8, 2026, focusing on showcasing best practices for Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats. The workshop, organized by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, involved over 200 participants from 13 States and Union Territories and aimed to share successful initiatives for developing such Panchayats across India. The workshop included interactive sessions, presentations, and training, with follow-up sessions scheduled to focus on economic opportunities and safety measures.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Workshop Overview:**
* A two-day National Workshop on Best Practices of Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats commenced in Pune on January 8, 2026.
* The event was inaugurated by Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
* Over 200 participants from 13 States and Union Territories attended.
* **Objectives:**
* Showcase successful initiatives for developing Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats in every District of India.
* Share ground-level success stories and innovative practices.
* Strengthen women’s leadership in village governance.
* **Key Discussion Points:**
* Community awareness and social change are more critical than financial resources for advancing women-friendly governance.
* Ending proxy leadership practices.
* Providing basic services such as safe drinking water, functional toilets, women’s safety measures, and equal participation of women without discrimination.
* Integrating gender-responsive planning within GPDPs and strengthening the capacities of Panchayati Raj Institutions.
* Empowerment must translate into effective participation and substantive involvement of women in routine governance processes and decision-making.
* **Presentations and Activities:**
* Presentations by best-performing Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats.
* Panchayat representatives shared practical experiences.
* Interactive sessions to learn from each other’s experiences.
* Training on the online monitoring system is scheduled.
* A cultural program highlighted local traditions.
* **Support and Collaboration:**
* UNFPA is supporting the initiative through technical collaboration, knowledge support, and promotion of locally relevant, evidence-based practices.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Panchayati Raj:**
* **Impact:** Required to facilitate and promote the development of Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats across the country. Expected to implement a structured, outcome-oriented framework and strengthen capacities of Panchayati Raj Institutions.
* **Action Required:** Integrate gender-responsive planning within GPDPs, provide focused training, data-driven monitoring, and peer learning, and ensure institutional convergence.
**State Governments (13 States and Union Territories Represented):**
* **Impact:** Required to implement best practices and learn from successful models to promote women-friendly governance.
* **Action Required:** Apply learnings from the workshop to empower women in routine governance and decision-making at the grassroots level.
**Panchayati Raj Institutions:**
* **Impact:** Need to enhance women’s participation in village decisions, health and nutrition programs, education and skills training, income generation, and safety measures.
* **Action Required:** Implement initiatives that promote women’s involvement in planning, budgeting, improving health services, education, livelihood opportunities, and safety committees.
**Women in Villages:**
* **Impact:** Aims to improve their participation in governance and access to basic services, safety, and economic opportunities.
* **Action Required:** Engage in local governance processes, participate in decision-making, and benefit from improved services and opportunities.
Key Entities Referenced
Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats: A model for village governance focused on women's empowerment and participation.
Ministry of Panchayati Raj: The primary governmental body promoting and developing the Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats initiative.
National Workshop on Best Practices of Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats: A two-day workshop showcasing success stories and practices related to Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats.
Pune: Location of the National Workshop.
YASHADA (Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration): The venue for the National Workshop on Best Practices of Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats.
Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Ministry of Panchayati Raj Showcases Best
Practices for Model Women-Friendly Gram
Panchayats at National Workshop in Pune
Over 200 participants from 13 States and Union Territories
sharing ground-level success stories and innovative practices
at the two-day workshop
प्रव तथ: 08 JAN 2026 5:42PM by PIB Mumbai
Pune, 8 January 2026
A two-day National Workshop on Best Practices of Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats commenced
today at the Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration in Pune, showcasing
successful initiatives from across the country as the Ministry of Panchayati Raj works to develop Model
Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats in every District of India.
Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj inaugurated the workshop in
the presence of Shri Eknath Rajaram Dawale, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj
Department, Government of Maharashtra, Shri Niranjan Kumar Sudhansu, DG, YASHADA, Over 200
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, are sharing ground-level success stories and innovative practices.Addressing the National Workshop on Best Practices of Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats,
Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, stated that community
awareness and social change are more critical for advancing women-friendly governance than financial
resources alone. He called for ending proxy leadership practices and emphasised the provision of basic
services such as safe drinking water, functional toilets, women’s safety measures, and equal participation
of women in all village-level activities without discrimination. He further stated that the Ministry of
Panchayati Raj is advancing the initiative through a structured, outcome-oriented framework by
integrating gender-responsive planning within GPDPs and strengthening the capacities of Panchayati Raj
Institutions across States, supported by focused training, data-driven monitoring, peer learning, and
institutional convergence to ensure effective implementation and scalability of best practices.
Principal Secretary (RD&PR), Maharashtra, Shri Eknath Dawale, highlighted the State’s commitment to
women’s representation in Panchayati Raj Institutions through fifty percent reservation in local bodies. He
emphasized that empowerment must translate into effective participation and substantive involvement of
women in routine governance processes and decision-making at the grassroots level. He mentioned the
State’s Mukhyamantri Samruddha Panchayat Raj Abhiyan that supports women-friendly initiatives, noting
that economic independence is fundamental to overall empowerment.Director, MoPR Shri Vipul Ujwal explained how the initiative’s framework is covering women’s
participation in village decisions, health and nutrition programs, education and skills training, income
generation opportunities, and safety measures. He emphasized that genuine, verified information is
essential for meaningful progress tracking. Dr. Deepa Prasad stated that UNFPA is supporting the initiative
through technical collaboration, knowledge support, and promotion of locally relevant, evidence-based
practices aligned with the Localization of Sustainable Development Goals. She also shared inspiring
examples from Madhya Pradesh showing real transformation in rural women’s lives.
The workshop featured presentations by best-performing Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats
demonstrating tangible results achieved on the ground. Panchayat representatives shared practical
experiences on involving women in planning and budgeting, improving maternal and child health services,
promoting girls' education, creating livelihood opportunities through skill training, and establishing safety
committees. These real-life examples from villages across participating states illustrated how focused
efforts can bring meaningful change in women's lives and strengthen grassroots democracy.Interactive sessions allowed participants to learn from each other’s experiences and discuss ways to
implement successful models in their own areas. The day concluded with a cultural program highlighting
local traditions.
Also present were Dr. Mallinath Kalshetti, Deputy Director General of YASHADA & Director, SIRD&PR
Maharashtra, Shri Vipul Ujwal, Director, MoPR, and Dr Deepa Prasad, Chief, Programmes and Technical
Support, UNFPA India. Shri Gajanan Patil, Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Parishad Pune, Shri Girish
Bhalerao, Director of Panchayat Raj Maharashtra, and Shri Sachin Ghadge, Additional Director of
Panchayat Raj Maharashtra.
Tomorrow’s sessions will focus on economic opportunities and safety measures, followed by training on
the online monitoring system. The workshop aims to strengthen women’s leadership in village governance
nationwide by sharing proven approaches and practical solutions.
PIB Pune | Harshal Akude/ Priti Malandkar
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