Vaktavya Podcast

नमस्ते दर्शकों! Vaktavya Podcast के Season 2 Episode 1 में आप सभी का स्वागत है। आज हमारे साथ जुड़ चुके हैं Amit ji , जो ग्राम मलकपुरा के प्रधान हैं और IIMC के Alumni हैं। Amit Ji एन.डी.टी.वी., डी. डी. न्यूज़, आउटलुक के साथ काम कर चुके हैं। इसके बाद Amit ने ग्राम प्रधानी की की तरफ रुख किया, जमीनी स्तर के समस्याओं को tackle करने के लिए। इस Podcast में हम बात करेंगे ढ़ेर सारी बातें Amit Ji की Early Life, Journey, जानने की कोशिश करेंगे Gram Panchayat की चुनोतियों को। साथ ही साथ हम बात करेंगे की क्या किया जा सकता है इन समस्याओं को ख़त्म करने के लिए।

Who Is Lakshita Dagar? She has scripted history by becoming the youngest sarpanch of Ujjain. The elections were carried out in three phases. Interestingly, the 21-year-old won the elections just a day before her birthday. There were eight other women contesting along with her but she won by a margin of nearly 487 votes.She also aspires to open an English medium school in her village. Next, she wants more and more children to get equipped with technology.

Maya Vishwakarma is the Founder and Chairperson of Sukarma Foundation. A native of Mehragaon village in district Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh (MP), India, Maya has been living in San Francisco, California, USA, for nearly a decade. After completing high school in her village, she went to Jabalpur RDVV University for her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biochemistry. Her Master’s thesis dissertation work at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi focused on Nuclear Medicine. Later, she finished her Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in similar areas.She moved to the United States to pursue her PhD program in Chemical and Biological Engineering from SDSMT (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology). She dropped out from her PhD and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue her career in Cancer Biology at UCSF hospital.While working in her home district for the last 5-6 years, she made a documentary on the model village, Baghuvar in Madhya Pradesh, titled “Swaraj Mumkin Hai” (Independence is Possible), and wrote a book by the same name. These projects were aimed at spreading awareness of rural education and sustainable villages, and have been awarded and appreciated at the national and international levels.Deeply inspired by PADMAN Arunachalam Muruganantham – he is a social entrepreneur who invented a low-cost sanitary pad manufacturing machine and started raising awareness about menstrual hygiene in rural India (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arunachalam_Muruganantham) – and the remarkable achievements in his home state of Tamil Nadu, she researched a few more startups in India that make affordable sanitary napkins using semi-automatic pad-making machines.Sukarma Foundation established a mini factory in 2017 to make sanitary napkins in Narsinghpur district under the brand name “No Tension”, providing employment to local women and raising menstruation awareness. The objective of this project is to protect tribal and rural girls/women from infections such as RTIs (Reproductive Tract Infections), UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections) and Cervical Cancer by educating them about menstrual hygiene and providing them with hygienic and low-cost sanitary pads.Sukarma Foundation has now expanded into rural health camps and Telemedicine centers in areas that do not have sufficient medical personnel.

Rather Mehraj (@ud_rather) is a Gram Pradhan in Kashmir who turned his life around from being involved in stone-pelting to becoming a dedicated servant of his community. Once part of the separatist movement, Mehraj shifted gears, realizing that violence wasn't the answer. Now serving as the Gram Pradhan, he's secured a significant fund of Rs 27 crore in four years, using it to build new roads, schools, and hospitals for his village. Mehraj's journey from a troubled past to a leader focused on grassroots governance is an inspiring tale of positive change in Kashmir.

Neeru Yadav ji is a social reformer and visionary known as the “Hockey Wali Sarpanch.” She has brought about significant social and educational improvements in her village, Lambi Ahir. Neeru Yadav’s passion for empowering women and promoting education has earned her recognition and accolades, including the ‘Shiksha Shree’ award from the Rajasthan Government. She is a symbol of change and progress in her community.

The Sarpanch of Rajpur Gram Panchayat, Mrs. Priyanka Tiwari , comes from Uttar Pradesh and shared that she was deeply concerned about lack of cleanliness in her village. This prompted her to take action.What's even more remarkable is that she has no political background, family connections, or political ambitions. She took on this initiative solely because she was deeply affected by the village's problems, including poor condition of schools. Today, her village has clean streets, proper roads, and teachers in schools.When I asked Priyanka Ji if she faced any challenges due to the devolution of power, she said that she encountered no difficulties. She received the support she needed to achieve her goals.Despite having a modest annual budget, she has managed to bring over two crore rupees worth of projects to her Gram Panchayat in 3 years, whether through MLA funds or MP funds. She has shown that if a sarpanch genuinely wishes to serve their community, funding is not an issue, and devolution of power is not a significant obstacle. Teachers come to school on time.The quality of education in school has improved, and there is student council with various roles. This is not only promoting leadership among the children but also contributing to the overall development of all the children in the village.She shared many examples that highlight her achievements. To learn more about her story, watch the podcast!

Join us on Vaktavya Podcast for our upcoming 3rd episode in the Empower Panchayat series, featuring Dr. Vishnu Rajgadia ji. Explore grassroots governance and the significance of the 73rd Amendment in this insightful discussion.Dr. Vishnu Rajgadia is a distinguished Educator and Journalist known for his work at Makhanlal Chaturved National University of Journalism and contributions to social initiatives with organizations like UNICEF and the Jharkhand Skill Mission. His expertise encompasses journalism, grassroots development, and advocacy for civic rights and social welfare programs.

Panchayat Par Charcha With Gram Padhan Bhuvanesh Ji

Panchayat Par Charcha With Afzal Khan Ji

There is a significant amount of discourse surrounding the concept of "One Nation, One Election" in recent times. Announcement of the organization of a special session in Parliament by the ruling coalition has sent these sparks flying off. Coming of this announcement has led to the speculation by various media agencies and political parties as no agenda has been shared for the session. Previously the special sessions have been convened to commemorate historical events but for the last special session, which was convened by NDA only in 2017 where the GST bill was rolled out. Therefore it is serving as the foundation of the thought that under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the National Democratic Alliance government is planning again to pass several bills during this special session. Among these bills, the "One Nation, One Election" bill is being much talked about as it holds great significance. Undoubtedly, it will be considered a prominent step in the process of electoral reform, if this happens.  There are many advantages to this change in election process. However, it will be impactful only if it resonates with the Honorable PM’s view of reaching the last mile. When we talk about the last mile, it is the people living in villages far and wide, those who receive the rays of development and progress last. The true benefits of this change in election process can be actualised only if it benefits the panchayats (local self-governance bodies). Although, numerous benefits of this change are being discussed on several forums of news agencies. To enumerate some of the advantages, including but not limited to: cost savings in public funds, expeditious progress in development initiatives, decreased disruptions arising from elections, enhanced utilization of public resources for the welfare of the populace, a well-organized and disciplined nation, and the fostering of a sense of national unity throughout the entire country. All these benefits are indeed possible, but there is less discussion about one of the biggest drawbacks of this process. "One Nation, One Election" , if passed, will be a big blow to our democracy, which is the soul of our country. While arguments supporting its advantages are being thoroughly examined, there is a clear consensus that "One Nation, One Election" will have a detrimental impact on democracy. We can understand this by getting into a few details. Generally, Lok Sabha elections are held on time after every five years. Seldom, midterm elections have been conducted when the government failed to show majority in the Parliament. Barring such few occasions, the government has completed its term at all other times. From the state government perspective, "One Nation, One Election" can cause great damage to the governments. If the elected state government falls then in such a situation the government cannot be formed again, and the power will naturally go into the hands of the center, which will be detrimental to the federal democratic structure of our country. In the end, this ultimately poses a threat to the nation's democracy. The Indian Constitution clearly states in explicit terms that India is a federation of states. It means that India is a federal democracy. "One Nation, One Election" will weaken the federal democratic structure of the country and can pose a threat to the unity and integrity of the nation. As the One Nation, One Election holds a lot of merits, there should be some solution that should be devised to circumvent the ill effects that it can bring. One such solution that should be implemented before passing the bill is discussed here. The Indian Constitution includes many subjects in the Union List. In addition to these, 61 subjects have been provided to the states. There are a total of 52 subjects that are included in the Concurrent List. After the passage of the Panchayati Raj Act and the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution, states were given 29 subjects for Panchayats. Every state has assigned these 29 subjects to the Panchayati Raj Institutions in their respective states. However, the administration of these subjects is generally carried out by the state governments. As a result, local bodies, the Panchayati institutions, have not been able to function independently to date. If "One Nation, One Election" is implemented, it will weaken the power of the states, and the 29 subjects assigned to Panchayats will somehow come under the control of the central government. Therefore, the allocation of the 29 subjects, which have been provided to Panchayats in a constitutional manner, should first be handed to the Panchayats completely. For this, the central government will have to take the initiative. The way the government has provided 61 subjects to the states, it should also honestly allocate the 29 subjects directly to the Panchayats. In reality, the state governments should have no work other than police, law and order. All the work of development should be with the Panchayati Raj Institutions in a constitutional manner. This is long pending due to the unwarranted interference of the state government and thus the process of development is withheld by the state government. If the work of development is truly with the Panchayats that are elected by the people, then there will be true democracy established in the country. To summarize, if the ruling central government under the leadership of Shri. Narendra Modi, wants to pass the "One Nation, One Election" bill, it should empower the Panchayats beforehand. The implementation of this bill could potentially jeopardize democracy and the federal structure. Simultaneously, if local issues and tasks connected to the public are no longer under the jurisdiction of regional governments, due to the imposition of presidential rule, it could harm democracy as well. It is imperative to ensure a balanced approach and empower local governance systems before contemplating such a significant change.