Elected as panchayat president of Thottiapatti village for the second consecutive time in 2011, Nagalakshmi aims at making it a model village.
Despite threats to her life, she successfully managed to retrieve around two acres of government land that was illegally grabbed by real estate sharks, and she earmarked the site to set up a high school for children in the village.
Even lack of coordination and support from the Panchayat Union office could not bog her down from carrying out development works in the hamlet.
ADVERTISEMENT
Having barely studied standard X, this 40-year-old woman has proved that womenfolk are as capable as men when it comes to governance. “Unlike a few village panchayat presidents, I have never been dependent on my relatives to discharge my duties. Though I face many problems at work, I have overcome them on my own and taken efforts to develop my village,” she adds.
Ms. Nagalakshmi was one among the 40 panchayat presidents who attended a workshop on capacity building at Lady Doak College here on Thursday.
Addressing the women functionaries of Panchayat Raj institutions, Collector L. Subramanian said that nearly 90 percent of women panchayat presidents he had met lacked basic knowledge about government schemes and projects. “They act as proxy for their husbands and do not take their job seriously. Some are even unaware of the problems in their village,” he added.
ADVERTISEMENT
The State government has taken several efforts for the uplift of women and “you should make the most of it,” he told them. The Collector urged them to make a list of issues in their villages and approach him without any hesitation.
The two-day training programme on Thursday and Friday was organised by Lady Doak College in collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Sriperumbudur.
K.T. Kalaiselvi, lecturer, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, said that a committee comprising women panchayat presidents would soon be constituted to present the grievances of their respective unions to the district administration.
The workshop will focus on developing self-confidence, communication and administrative skills of the women representatives. Representatives from eight panchayat unions in Madurai district took part in the workshop.