India’s first ‘Balika Panchayat’ constituted in five villages of Gujarat

Tags: State News

Taking a unique initiative towards empowering women, the country's first girl panchayat has been started in Kutch, Gujarat.

• The unique initiative of Balika Panchayat has been started in four villages of Kutch district of Gujarat namely Kunaria, Maska Motaginya, Vadasar Kukma village.

• Its responsibility is given to the girl child in the age group of 11 to 21 years.

• Its main objective is to promote the social and political development of the girl child and to solve their problems by removing the evils present in the society.

• This is a unique initiative of the Government of Gujarat for Women and Child Development Welfare under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign.

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development is planning to start Balika Panchayat across India.

• The member of the girl's panchayat is nominated in the same way as the village panchayat.

• About Panchayati raj 

• The Panchayati Raj system was implemented by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 2 October 1959 in Bagdari village of Nagaur district of Rajasthan.

• The three-tier Panchayati Raj system in India consists of Gram Panchayat (at the village level), Panchayat Samiti (at the intermediate level) and Zilla Parishad (at the district level).

• Panchayats are mentioned in Article 40 of the Constitution of India and Article 246 empowers the State Legislature to make laws on any matter relating to local self-government.

• Panchayati Raj Institution is a system of rural local self-government in India.

• To establish democracy at the grassroots level, through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, the Panchayati Raj Institution was given constitutional status and was entrusted with the task of rural development in the country.

• Part IX titled "Panchayats" was added to the Constitution by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment.

• The tenure of Panchayats is fixed for five years but it can be dissolved even before the tenure.