नमस्ते दर्शकों!

Vaktavya Podcast के Season 2 Episode 1 में आप सभी का स्वागत है। आज हमारे साथ जुड़ चुके हैं Amit ji , जो ग्राम मलकपुरा के प्रधान हैं और IIMC के Alumni हैं। Amit Ji एन.डी.टी.वी., डी. डी. न्यूज़, आउटलुक के साथ काम कर चुके हैं। इसके बाद Amit ने ग्राम प्रधानी की की तरफ रुख किया, जमीनी स्तर के समस्याओं को tackle करने के लिए।

इस Podcast में हम बात करेंगे ढ़ेर सारी बातें Amit Ji की Early Life, Journey, जानने की कोशिश करेंगे Gram Panchayat की चुनोतियों को।

साथ ही साथ हम बात करेंगे की क्या किया जा सकता है इन समस्याओं को ख़त्म करने के लिए।

Who Is Lakshita Dagar?

She has scripted history by becoming the youngest sarpanch of Ujjain. The elections were carried out in three phases. Interestingly, the 21-year-old won the elections just a day before her birthday. There were eight other women contesting along with her but she won by a margin of nearly 487 votes.

She also aspires to open an English medium school in her village. Next, she wants more and more children to get equipped with technology.

Maya Vishwakarma is the Founder and Chairperson of Sukarma Foundation. A native of Mehragaon village in district Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh (MP), India, Maya has been living in San Francisco, California, USA, for nearly a decade. After completing high school in her village, she went to Jabalpur RDVV University for her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biochemistry. Her Master’s thesis dissertation work at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi focused on Nuclear Medicine. Later, she finished her Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in similar areas.

She moved to the United States to pursue her PhD program in Chemical and Biological Engineering from SDSMT (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology). She dropped out from her PhD and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue her career in Cancer Biology at UCSF hospital.

While working in her home district for the last 5-6 years, she made a documentary on the model village, Baghuvar in Madhya Pradesh, titled “Swaraj Mumkin Hai” (Independence is Possible), and wrote a book by the same name. These projects were aimed at spreading awareness of rural education and sustainable villages, and have been awarded and appreciated at the national and international levels.

Deeply inspired by PADMAN Arunachalam Muruganantham – he is a social entrepreneur who invented a low-cost sanitary pad manufacturing machine and started raising awareness about menstrual hygiene in rural India (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arunachalam_Muruganantham) – and the remarkable achievements in his home state of Tamil Nadu, she researched a few more startups in India that make affordable sanitary napkins using semi-automatic pad-making machines.

Sukarma Foundation established a mini factory in 2017 to make sanitary napkins in Narsinghpur district under the brand name “No Tension”, providing employment to local women and raising menstruation awareness. The objective of this project is to protect tribal and rural girls/women from infections such as RTIs (Reproductive Tract Infections), UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections) and Cervical Cancer by educating them about menstrual hygiene and providing them with hygienic and low-cost sanitary pads.

Sukarma Foundation has now expanded into rural health camps and Telemedicine centers in areas that do not have sufficient medical personnel.

Rather Mehraj (@ud_rather) is a Gram Pradhan in Kashmir who turned his life around from being involved in stone-pelting to becoming a dedicated servant of his community. Once part of the separatist movement, Mehraj shifted gears, realizing that violence wasn't the answer. Now serving as the Gram Pradhan, he's secured a significant fund of Rs 27 crore in four years, using it to build new roads, schools, and hospitals for his village. Mehraj's journey from a troubled past to a leader focused on grassroots governance is an inspiring tale of positive change in Kashmir.

Neeru Yadav ji is a social reformer and visionary known as the “Hockey Wali Sarpanch.” She has brought about significant social and educational improvements in her village, Lambi Ahir. Neeru Yadav’s passion for empowering women and promoting education has earned her recognition and accolades, including the ‘Shiksha Shree’ award from the Rajasthan Government. She is a symbol of change and progress in her community.

The Sarpanch of Rajpur Gram Panchayat, Mrs. Priyanka Tiwari , comes from Uttar Pradesh and shared that she was deeply concerned about lack of cleanliness in her village. This prompted her to take action.

What's even more remarkable is that she has no political background, family connections, or political ambitions. She took on this initiative solely because she was deeply affected by the village's problems, including poor condition of schools.

Today, her village has clean streets, proper roads, and teachers in schools.

When I asked Priyanka Ji if she faced any challenges due to the devolution of power, she said that she encountered no difficulties. She received the support she needed to achieve her goals.

Despite having a modest annual budget, she has managed to bring over two crore rupees worth of projects to her Gram Panchayat in 3 years, whether through MLA funds or MP funds.

She has shown that if a sarpanch genuinely wishes to serve their community, funding is not an issue, and devolution of power is not a significant obstacle. Teachers come to school on time.

The quality of education in school has improved, and there is student council with various roles. This is not only promoting leadership among the children but also contributing to the overall development of all the children in the village.

She shared many examples that highlight her achievements. To learn more about her story, watch the podcast!

Join us on Vaktavya Podcast for our upcoming 3rd episode in the Empower Panchayat series, featuring Dr. Vishnu Rajgadia ji. Explore grassroots governance and the significance of the 73rd Amendment in this insightful discussion.

Dr. Vishnu Rajgadia is a distinguished Educator and Journalist known for his work at Makhanlal Chaturved National University of Journalism and contributions to social initiatives with organizations like UNICEF and the Jharkhand Skill Mission. His expertise encompasses journalism, grassroots development, and advocacy for civic rights and social welfare programs.

Panchayat Par Charcha With Gram Padhan Bhuvanesh Ji