Women Leaders in Village Panchayats

I am thirty-six years old and belong to a poor family. My father was small

farmer who depended on a small rain-fed holding to support his family of

seven members. Under these circumstances, I was unable to continue my

education. My dream was to be able to work for the government but this

dream has not come to fruition.

I married Nagraj of gonibeedu of Mudigere Block and we have two children.

Then, I joined VIKASANA, a local NgO as a community organizer to support

my family. I worked hard with people for three years; and these years made

me known to the people and gave me an understanding of the different village

situations. I learned about organizing people, formation and strengthening of

SHgs, conducting training, and approaching government Officials to discuss

the people’s problems. I also learnt about reporting and documentation.

I began a Self Help group of about 12 to 15 women members in my own

village. I was trained and given information on how to manage the groups,

keep the books, account maintenance, loan repayment, and interest rates etc.

The success of this boosted my confidence and we then decided to form a

federation of SHgs. I become the Secretary for this federation and it was here

where I learnt about various aspects of leadership and decision-making.

As I had regular contact with the people, worked in the SHgs, and was

a federation leader; people have suggested that I should join the gram

Panchayat and they elected me as member. I have been elected four times as

member of gonibeedu gram Panchayat! I have earlier been the President of

the Panchayat and am presently working as a Ward Member of the same gram

Panchayat.

After I become the member of gonibeedu gram Panchayat, I faced a number

of problems yet I have managed to overcome them and achieved my goals. I

have worked to identify the eligible BPL families. I have also tried to make

the process easier and simpler for these families to obtain their benefits. The

water sources like the village tanks and ponds have been cleaned and repaired,

school infrastructures have been improved, and the quality of education

Susheela
Ward Member
Panchayat: gonibeedu
Block: gonibeedu-
Mudigere
District: Chikmagalore