The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has launched 'Nirbhay Chetna', a landmark national initiative under the Nirbhaya Fund project, aimed at sensitizing male elected representatives on women's safety and gender equality issues at the grassroots level. This first-of-its-kind program, recognized as the largest drive of its kind globally, was rolled out through a three-day Training of Trainers (ToT) program held from 17th to 19th June 2026 in New Delhi.
The initiative aims to reach over 17.5 lakh male elected representatives across India by developing a cadre of 28,500 master trainers at state, district, and block levels. The pilot batch included approximately 40 master trainers from six states: Assam, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Uttarakhand, serving as the foundation for a cascading training model to be expanded across all states and union territories.
Secretary Shri Vivek Bharadwaj emphasized that the vision of Viksit Bharat cannot be realized without ensuring women's safety, dignity, and equal participation, highlighting Panchayats' pivotal role as institutions of social and democratic transformation. Additional Secretary Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani stressed that ensuring women's safety and dignity is a collective societal responsibility and noted the critical role of Panchayats in fostering gender-responsive governance.
The training program adopted a participatory approach through expert sessions, group discussions, case studies, and experiential learning to deepen understanding of gender issues, challenge social stereotypes, and promote gender-responsive leadership. Key themes included positive masculinity, community participation, and the role of Panchayats in advancing women's safety, dignity, and inclusion.
Nirbhay Chetna is part of the broader Nirbhay Raho initiative launched on 11th March 2026, which comprises three components: Nirbhay Netri for capacity-building of elected women representatives, Nirbhay Chetna for sensitizing male representatives, and Nirbhay Drishti for installing CCTV cameras at strategic rural locations to strengthen technology-enabled safety infrastructure in Panchayats. The training module was developed by Transform Rural India Foundation.