The Roots of Power

While reservation has opened doors for women in PRIs, several challenges hinder their effective participation. A key concern is proxy representation, where elected women remain figureheads, and real authority is exercised by male family members. This deprives women of meaningful governance experience. Experience shows that merely providing reservation is not enough; nurturing competent and efficient women leadership is paramount. There is a pressing need to prepare the women leadership who will be entering higher legislative bodies

- 

cartoon suggesting citizens are more interested in platforms like Instagram than in Gram Panchayats attracted a rejoinder from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, which stated that such broad statements "overlook the real, transformative work being done by democratic institutions at the grassroots."

The response is not without merit. Despite facing challenges, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) have been instrumental in driving meaningful change at the grassroots. They deserve not just scrutiny, but also appreciation for the positive work being done across villages in India.

PRIs are not merely administrative bodies but dynamic platforms for collective action and local innovation. Across the country, they are spearheading remarkable changes.

Latifpur village near Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh has adopted dowry-free community weddings, supported by a corpus fund to meet marriage expenses. Kolhapur villages in Maharashtra took the decision to eliminate widowhood rituals such as breaking bangles as a symbol of reform. In Karnataka, Thindlu Gram Panchayat became the first in the state to provide universal insurance to all residents, setting a benchmark for community-led welfare.

In Rajpur, Uttar Pradesh, a woman sarpanch has taken bold steps to make the village plastic-free, setting an example for sustainable development.

In Vadgaon village of Karnataka, a unique evening digital detox bans TV and mobile phone use from 7 PM to 9 PM to promote social bonding.

Kolhapur villages have also prohibited the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks and a village in Maharashtra has banned smartphone use for children under 18 to curb digital addiction.