'Ban on sarpanch proxies will boost women empowerment'

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Amritsar, September 21

The Department of Rural Development organised a seminar on Wednesday to ensure women empowerment in Panchayati Raj Institutions. The event, attended by women sarpanches, was also joined by Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal said the government had earlier imposed a ban on male kin of women sarpanches from attending official meetings. He said the objective behind the move was to empower women panchayat members.

He said the government had increased reservation of women sarpanches to 50 per cent. “If women sarpanches become a head of the village in true sense, then only problems such as drug menace, encroachment, personal and political enmities can be curbed,” said the minister.

He said mothers in Punjab were worried about the future of their children and only they know what steps can be taken to ensure a safe future for them. Dhaliwal said directions had been issued that under no circumstances, a male proxy of a women sarpanch or panch would interfere in official work. He said elected women panchayat members should come forward and take control of the panchayats.