The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has launched ‘Nirbhay Chetna’, a first-of-its-kind national initiative aimed at sensitising more than 17.5 lakh male elected representatives on issues related to women’s safety, gender equality and leadership at the grassroots level.
Implemented under the Nirbhaya Fund, the initiative seeks to strengthen gender-responsive governance through Panchayati Raj Institutions by building awareness, accountability and community leadership among elected representatives.
As part of the initiative, the Ministry organised a three-day Training of Trainers (ToT) programme in New Delhi from June 17 to 19. The programme also marked the launch of the Nirbhay Chetna training module developed by Transform Rural India.
The initiative aims to create a nationwide cadre of 28,500 master trainers at the state, district and block levels, who will subsequently train male elected representatives across the country through a cascading model.
The pilot batch included around 40 master trainers from Assam, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttarakhand. The model will gradually be expanded to all States and Union Territories.
Addressing the inaugural session, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Vivek Bharadwaj said the vision of Viksit Bharat cannot be realised without ensuring the safety, dignity and equal participation of women.
He said Panchayats have emerged as institutions capable of driving social and democratic transformation and can play a crucial role in promoting gender-sensitive leadership at the grassroots level.
Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Sushil Kumar Lohani emphasised that ensuring women’s safety and dignity is a collective societal responsibility. He highlighted the role of Panchayats in fostering gender-responsive governance and creating a safer and more enabling environment for women and girls.
The training programme adopted a participatory approach involving expert sessions, group discussions, case studies and experiential learning exercises. Key themes included positive masculinity, community participation and the role of Panchayats in advancing women’s safety, dignity and inclusion.
Part of Nirbhay Raho Initiative
Nirbhay Chetna is one of the three pillars of the broader ‘Nirbhay Raho’ initiative launched in March 2026.
While ‘Nirbhay Netri’ focuses on capacity-building and legal awareness among elected women representatives, ‘Nirbhay Chetna’ aims to sensitise male elected representatives on gender equality and women’s safety.
The third component, ‘Nirbhay Drishti’, envisages installation of CCTV cameras at strategic rural locations to strengthen technology-enabled safety infrastructure in Panchayats.
