Women now lead more than 50% of Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis, and Zila Parishads in Bihar

NH Bureau Saturday, 28 June 2025 09:58:18 AM

Women now lead more than 50% of Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis, and Zila Parishads in Bihar (Image: Pixabay)

New Delhi : From the very beginning, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has envisioned a future in which women of Bihar are empowered and serve as agents of social transformation. The Department of Panchayati Raj has played a commendable role in realizing this vision. The department continues its efforts to empower even the most marginalized women in the state.

Out of 38 Gram Panchayats selected for development as model women-friendly panchayats, 29 are currently led by women representatives. At a workshop held on June 16, 2025, Panchayati Raj Minister Kedar Prasad Gupta emphasized that the comprehensive development of the state and the country is only possible through the development of Gram Panchayats. In this light, women representatives are not only being given authority but are also being trained consistently through leadership and exposure programs.

These training sessions cover a range of topics including the e-Gram Swaraj portal, financial management, administrative procedures, and various aspects of social leadership.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2025, the “Empowered Panchayat–Netri Abhiyan” was launched in New Delhi on March 4–5, with the participation of women representatives from Bihar. During the event, it was announced that each district in every state would develop one Gram Panchayat as a model women-friendly unit. Following this, on March 5 at the state level, one Gram Panchayat from each district in Bihar was selected for this initiative.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Bihar has taken several landmark steps in the direction of women's empowerment. A pivotal decision was made in 2005 to reserve 50% of seats for women in the three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban bodies. As a result, women’s participation in local governance has significantly increased. According to recent data, women now lead over 50% of the state’s Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis, and Zila Parishads.

Notably, in 2024, three Gram Panchayats from Bihar—Jajuar Middle, Punhara, and Parthu—earned third place in various categories of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sustainable Development Award (National Panchayat Awards–2024), and were felicitated by the President of India. Among them, two are headed by women leaders: Nibha Kumari (Punhara, Jehanabad) and Tripti Kumari (Parthu, Nalanda).

Furthermore, on National Panchayati Raj Day 2025, the Motipur Gram Panchayat of Rosera Block, Samastipur district, was honored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with third place in the "Climate Action Special Panchayat Award–2025," during an event held at North Lohana Gram Panchayat in Jhanjharpur Block, Madhubani district. This panchayat is led by Prema Devi.

Thanks to the commitment of the Panchayati Raj Department and the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, women in Bihar have emerged as trailblazers in rural development.