Inauguration and Key Officials
The workshop will be inaugurated by Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Key dignitaries include Shri Eknath Rajaram Dawale, Principal Secretary, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Department, Maharashtra; Shri Niranjan Kumar Sudhansu, DG, YASHADA; Shri Vipul Ujwal, Director, MoPR; and Dr. Deepa Prasad, Chief, Programmes and Technical Support, UNFPA India.
Participants and Representation
Approximately 240 participants from 13 States and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Daman & Diu & Dadra & Nagar Haveli, will attend. Participants include elected representatives, Block Development Officers, Directors of State Institutes of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (SIRD&PR), State Nodal Officers, and Secretaries of Best Performing MWFGPs.
Thematic Focus Areas
The workshop will cover five thematic areas: Participation in Governance, Health & Nutrition, Education & Skill Development, Access to Economic Opportunities, and Safety & Security. Best performing MWFGPs will present innovative strategies through panel discussions and presentations. Participants will also be trained on dashboard indicators and portal features for monitoring progress effectively.
MWFGPs as Experiential Learning Centers
The initiative aims to develop MWFGPs into Experiential Learning Centers, providing a platform for sharing best practices across States and UTs. This effort builds capacity at the Panchayat level, empowering women and girls and promoting gender-sensitive governance at the grassroots.
Background and Progress
The Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats Initiative was launched on 5 March 2025, targeting at least one MWFGP in each district. States and UTs selected MWFGPs using defined criteria, including Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) Version 1.0, Theme 9 scores of Localized Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs), inputs from Women & Child Development Departments, and expertise from organizations working on women’s development.
Currently, 744 Gram Panchayats across 32 States and UTs have been identified as MWFGPs. The Ministry has introduced a dedicated MWFGP Dashboard with 35 indicators under six sub-themes to monitor and guide progress. Master Trainers have been engaged to build capacity and mentor MWFGPs in implementing gender-friendly initiatives.
