My Panchayat comprises of three villages- Kuriya, Bilhati and Bihra No. 1
and has a population of 5000 people. I am 36 years old and am a mother of
two, my daughter is presently pursuing her graduation, and my son is in High
School. My husband’s uncle was a member of a gram Panchayat and then
its Vice-President for some time. My father-in-law is a retired Headmaster.
My husband wanted to contest the Panchayat elections, but as the seat was
reserved for women, he was unable to do so. Instead, he asked me to consider
standing for the post. Initially, I was reluctant, because after marriage I had
never stepped out of the house. If I took up the post, I would be required to
go around the village and interact with others. Then I realized that it was a
chance of a lifetime to do something different. I gathered a group of women
to campaign for me and went to many people myself. I won the election by a
margin of 80 votes, against thee candidates.I was a little scared and shy when I started my journey, talking to villagers
and officials was a new experience. The training programs organized by The
Hunger Project helped me shed my initial inhibitions. I can still recall my
experiences of the trainings held in Satna, Hanumanganj and Amarvada, as
they helped me understand the role and functions of a President and gave me
information on government schemes, apart from boosting my confidence. I
am the Secretary of a women’s group, the ‘Mahila Adhikaar Manch,’ which
has twenty-two members. During the monthly meetings, problems pertaining
to the Panchayat are also discussed. This group provides me with support and
inspiration to continue my work.One of my major focus areas was to ensure that the benefits of social security
schemes reach the needy, ensuring that eligible candidates got the benefits,
under old age and other social security schemes. I ensured that those who
were not eligible by the prescribed standards, but who were needy, were also
included in the safety net.As part of my agenda at the time of elections to provide safe drinking water,
I got new hand pumps installed. At the time of installation, individuals kept
pressurising me to install them in their backyards or near their houses. However,geeta Verma
President
Panchayat: Bihra No.1
Block: Rampur Baghelan
District: Satna