Delhi: Lambi-Ahir, a small district in Rajasthan, has put itself on the global map with its first woman sarpanch, Neeru Yadav, representing the district at the United Nations event ‘Localising the SDGs: Women in Local Governance in India Lead the Way’ on 3 May.
Yadav, along with two other elected women representatives from India’s panchayati raj institutions, was invited to the UN to discuss their initiatives.
“I am grateful for the government’s recognition of the work that I have done. The visit was a moment of pride and a valuable learning experience, where I gained insights from fellow sarpanches and their impactful village initiatives,” she tells ThePrint.
For her, it was a milestone, but for the women in her village, it was a hope for a future where dreams do not die. This was not the first time Yadav had become a source of empowerment for the women of her district during her four years as sarpanch.
She founded an all-girls hockey team in her village, launched a financial awareness initiative to educate parents of young girls about the government’s Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, and paved the way for women’s employment under MGNREGA.
Her contributions have garnered widespread recognition, leading to invitations to platforms like KBC (Kaun Banega Crorepati) and various awards, including The Global Excellence Award.
Her path, however, was not without challenges. Yadav had to navigate a male-dominated field, overcome parental scepticism, deal with budget limits, and address safety issues.
“It’s been quite challenging. Unlike male sarpanches who are seldom questioned about their contributions to society, women sarpanches constantly face scrutiny and must prove their worth at every turn. Elections may be fought in our name, but women are often not trusted with responsibilities or given the same trust as their male counterparts,” she says.
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‘Hockey wali sarpanch’
Growing up Yadav was passionate about hockey, however, she was discouraged from pursuing the sport by her parents. To preserve her passion for the sport, Yadav founded an all-girls hockey team in her village, earning the title of ‘Hockey wali Sarpanch’.
She tells ThePrint, “We recognized that these girls would eventually have to get married, so we started training them as early as age seven to ensure they had plenty of opportunities before taking on such responsibilities”.
Yadav says she used her savings to hire a coach and prepare the team for competitive play.
In collaboration with the State Bank of India (SBI), she established a financial awareness initiative to educate parents of young girls about the government’s Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, which allows girls under the age of 10 to open bank accounts in their names with an annual interest rate of 8.2 percent.
“We were unaware of the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana until recently, but this initiative has been quite beneficial to us. We opened an account for our daughter and saved enough money for her education. One of the most appealing parts of this program is its flexibility—if we don’t save one year, we can contribute the next. Almost every household in our village now has a bank account under this yojana,” says Neelam Singh, a resident of Lambi-Ahir.
During Yadav’s term, the village saw an increase in job opportunities for women under MGNREGA.
“I observed that women labourers employed as daily labourers on farms and allied activities were earning no more than Rs 80 daily. I proposed fair remuneration in our meetings and was able to raise that number to a minimum daily wage of Rs 130-150,” Yadav says.
During her term, she also initiated projects to promote sustainability in her village.
She established a utensils bank that keeps 5,000-7,000 pieces of steel kitchenware in stock that villagers can borrow for special occasions like weddings and anniversaries to reduce plastic usage.
Additionally, efforts have been made to minimise water wastage from rooftops by implementing infrastructure changes. Most houses in Lambi-Ahir now feature tubes that channel water into wells, collecting and reusing water that would otherwise be wasted.
Manoj Devi, a resident of Kansinghpura, tells ThePrint, “We used to fetch water from distant wells several times every day. These chores are no longer necessary since taps have been installed. We can wear comfortable palazzos and T-shirts at home without having to leave. Our children are also happy to return to their hometown now that they no longer have water-fetching duties.”
“It’s been easy working with the sarpanch. She is proactive and takes initiative. When government budget constraints occur, she even invested her funds in the projects, which is admirable,” says Bhim Singh, Gram Panchayat Secretary of Lambi-Ahir.
Yadav, in response to the absence of affordable playschool options in her village, invested her prize money from KBC to set up a fully-equipped playschool which has two rooms equipped with projectors, swings, toys, and curtains, innovatively replacing traditional textbooks with inscribed walls.
“Furthermore, we supplied transportation services, and the facility can now accommodate 90 children, offering early education opportunities to the children in our village,” says Yadav.
She adds that in her years of service, she has found deep contentment in her accomplishments. Currently, she aims to establish a government accountant office, a primary health centre building and a bank branch, and create kitchen gardens in 20-25 households using reused RO water for fresh produce.
She also says that if she feels she has adequately served the village by the end of her term, she will not run for office next year.
Asked about her plans if she does not run for office next year, she tells ThePrint, “I intend to continue social work through my NGO, Aditri Foundation. I wish to launch a start-up that promotes products designed by women from our village internationally.”
She adds, “The duty of a sarpanch is paramount because we operate at the grassroots level, fully conscious of ground realities. It is only through the development of villages that the nation progresses.”
Siya Gupta is an intern with ThePrint
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