Panchayati Raj Ministry rolls out women's safety training for male elected representatives

Business To Business, New Delhi, 17^th June, 2026:  The Ministry of Panchayati Raj on Wednesday launched a nationwide capacity-building initiative for male elected representatives of rural and urban local bodies under its ‘Nirbhay Raho’ campaign, with a focus on women's safety, dignity, and gender-responsive governance.
The initiative began with a three-day ‘Training of Trainers’ programme titled:
Nirbhay Chetna: Leadership through Equality
The programme is being implemented with support from the Nirbhaya Fund, which was established to support initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security of women.
The training aims to:

• Sensitize male elected representatives to issues affecting women.
• Promote gender-responsive governance at the grassroots level.
• Strengthen awareness about women's rights, safety, and dignity.
• Encourage local leaders to create safer and more inclusive communities.
• Foster leadership based on equality and respect.

• Gender equality requires more than policy measures.
• Deep-rooted social attitudes and stereotypes must be addressed.
• Local elected representatives can play a critical role in shaping community behavior and governance practices.

• Improve implementation of women-centric schemes.
• Enhance responsiveness to safety concerns.
• Encourage greater participation of women in local governance.
• Build more inclusive decision-making processes.