I am 51 years old and the President of Tashipur village Panchayat. I have
maintained good public relations with the villagers and my family has been
supportive of my Panchayat work.The first time I contested the elections, I was elected, but I lost the second
time. I did not give up; I fought again and won the election the third time
round. I had to face stiff resistance from a fraction of villagers opposing me
on the issues of women. I also had to struggle to get funds to carry out welfare
programmes.I am dedicated to my work and the area’s development and I am happy that
the village members appreciate me for this. I tried for the ‘optimum utilization
of limited resources’ and have achieved considerable success.I constructed new roads, renovated the old ones, provided irrigation facilities
to the villagers, and introduced various welfare programmes run by the Central
and State governments, which was earlier untouched by the Panchayat.Once, while I was attending a meeting in a village the villagers recognized me,
but not their own gram President! This was a boost for me and I took charge
of running the Panchayat in an efficient manner.The Central and State governments have done a lot for women’s empowerment.
The only drawback is a lack of awareness and inefficient implementation.Roshni Devi
President
Panchayat: Tashipur
Block: Rourkee
District: Haridwar