POWER TO PANCHAYATS

Gujarat has a three-tier Panchayati Raj structure with 33 district panchayats, 248 taluka panchayats and 14,529 gram panchayats. Significantly, there are more women than men representatives in the state's Panchayati Raj system, governed by Gujarat Panchayat Act 1993. Of a total of 1,38,947 elected officials in Panchayati Raj institutions (PRls), 73120 elected officials are women against 65827 men. This amounts to representation of 52% women against 48% men in PRls.

PANCHAYAT MAHA SAMMELAN

Addressing a recent mammoth event 'Gujarat Panchayat Mahasammelan: Aapnu Gaam, Aapnu Gaurav' attended by 1,06,318 PR representatives in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a robust Panchayati Raj infrastructure is the key to fulfilling Bapu's dream of Gram Swaraj. Referring to