Panchayati Raj Ministry Launches Major Drive to Train Men on Gender Equality and Women's Safety

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj will conduct a three-day Training of Trainers (ToT) programme from June 17 to 19 in New Delhi to create a nationwide network of master trainers who will sensitise elected male representatives on gender equality, women's rights and community safety under the Centre's Nirbhay Raho initiative.

The programme, titled "Sensitisation of Men towards Women-related Issues, including Safety and Security of Women", will be held at the Indian Institute of Public Administration and forms part of Nirbhay Chetna , one of the three pillars of the Nirbhay Raho project funded through the Nirbhaya Fund . The initiative is being implemented jointly by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru .

A total of 45 master trainers, including consultants from the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, will participate. Representatives have been invited from Assam, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj is expected to inaugurate the programme. Earlier, he stressed that informed and sensitised Panchayat leadership can play a crucial role in improving women's safety, dignity and access to justice at the grassroots level.

The newly launched training module, developed by Transform Rural India, encourages reflection on social norms, masculinity, power relations and community leadership. The programme will also cover issues such as gender-based violence , domestic violence, child marriage, cyber safety, survivor support systems, legal remedies and victim compensation through case studies, role-play simulations and interactive exercises.

Launched on March 11, 2026, Nirbhay Raho comprises Nirbhay Netri , focused on women representatives, Nirbhay Chetna , aimed at sensitising male representatives, and Nirbhay Drishti , which plans CCTV installation at strategic rural locations. The ministry aims to reach more than 32 lakh elected Panchayat representatives , including 17.5 lakh men and 14.5 lakh women, through a cascading training model across India.