New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) Union minister Anupriya Patel on Wednesday urged women panchayat representatives to ensure the benefits of central schemes like Ayushman Bharat reach people in villages.

Speaking at the National Convention of Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats, the minister of state for health said the Modi government changed the perspective of 'women-centric development' to 'women-led development'.

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"Since Independence, all governments have talked about women-centric development, but the Modi government changed this, and presented a new concept -- women-led development," she said.

The minister stressed on a top-down approach, and said the women's reservation bill was passed to ensure women's participation in governance.

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"While we need to include women in governance at the grassroot level, we also have to focus on those who are struggling with their day to day lives," she said.

"Unless we fulfil their basic necessities, they can't participate in nation building," Patel said.

She said there are many women who do not even have access to toilets which has led to several incidents of violence against them, adding that girls drop out of schools where there are no toilets.

The minister said the workshop is focused on the agenda for 2030, under which creation of women-friendly panchayats is an important goal.

Calling health and nutrition an important issue, she said panchayat leaders are a link between government and rural population, and they can ensure that schemes are implemented on the ground.

"Your contributions will have an impact on our national indicators," she said.

"Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committee should be there in every village, and panchayat representatives should pay attention to that. The challenges are different in every village. You should ensure that the committee meetings are held regularly," Patel said.

The minister also talked about the Ayushman Bharat scheme and said it provides Rs 5 lakh insurance, and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs provide a range of healthcare services, including geriatric care, mental health care, and cancer screening.

Speaking at the event, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj S P Singh Baghel also urged panchayat representatives to ensure benefits of government schemes reach the rural population, and stressed on women-led development.

He said that the 'Pradhan Pati', 'Sarpanch Pati', or 'Mukhiya Pati' system, a practice where a male relative wields real power in place of the elected woman representative, has caused a lot of damage to women leaders.

He asked panchayat representatives to ensure people are getting benefit of schemes like Ujjwala and PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima.

The workshop focused on training panchayat representatives to develop at least one model gram panchayat in each district that is women-friendly. A dashboard to monitor the Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats was also launched.

On March 8, a nationwide Mahila Gram Sabha will be organized across all panchayats to celebrate the International Women's Day. Special training programs will also be conducted in identified gram panchayats to enhance women's participation in local governance and ensure the effective implementation of women-centric policies.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)