I am President of gimhavane gram Panchayat, which includes two villages,
gimhavane and Vanand. I belong to the Baudha (Buddhist) community.
Baudha values have always been a part of my identity.I have studied till Class x at which point I was married off and began to live
with a big joint family in gimhavane village. My in laws are supportive and
so I was able to complete Class xI after marriage. I was also able to learn
typing and computer skills after my marriage. My husband is an educated
and works as a clerk.I am very social by nature and am an activist for the Republican Party of India.
Because of this background, I have developed an interest in politics and social
activities. When the seat in my Panchayat was reserved for women (general
Category), I filled the nomination form and was subsequently elected from
my Ward. A woman from the Maratha caste and I were both eligible for the
post of President. It was decided that a child would pick a chit to select the
President. It was my name, which was selected; I think that my strong desire
to be President was behind this good luck.After being elected as President, I achieved complete sanitation in my
village. I tried to construct toilets for all houses in the Baudhawadi hamlet
and was successful. As a member of the same community, I knew the needs
of the hamlet and the work needed for the betterment of the most backward
classes in my village. I met the goal of the construction of drainage canals
throughout the village. These canals will help keep the village clean during
the rains and disease free.When I came to know about Parivartan, I decided to attend the training
to learn as much as possible. During this time, I faced many troubles due
to my gram Sevak (Panchayat Secretary). He was very corrupt and hardly
responded to his duties in a timely manner. I discussed this matter in
length at the meeting called by THP-Parivartan. I scheduled a follow-up
meeting with the C.E.O. of the Zilla Parishad, Ratnagiri and got orders
for gram Sevak’s transfer.Archana Yelawe
President
Panchayat: gimhavane
Block: Dapoli
District: Ratnagiri