Editorial Music & Arts Carnatic Music Tarannum -From Ground Zero Humour Reflections History Profile Voice It Art of Living Prev Issue Next Issue

This is first of a series on women pradhans in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India who have done some exemplary work. These stories speak volumes about achievements of women in the state.

Doth will never forget its pradhan Indu Devi. For the first time, Indu Devi managed to order the government store owner to oil to the villagers according to the government rates. From the past several years, the store owner was selling oil at much higher rate, which often let many poor villagers go without buying oil.

A small panchayat in the Sonadeeh block in Balia district, Doth is one of the poorest panchayats in the block and is often hit by floods and water logging problems during the monsoons. And in such times, the villagers find it impossible to go to the local haat bazaars to buy essential commodities and have to go to the government store owner, who was a corrupt man and sold things at a much higher price.

When the villagers complained this to their pradhan, she decided to take some stern action against this irregularity. She initially tried to speak to the store owner, Gokulchandra Jaiswal, but he did not take her seriously. And when she decided to initiate an action against him, he ran away. Finally, he was caught and Indu Devi ordered that he should sell oil according to the rates fixed by the government. She also ordered that Gokulchandra should apologize in public, which helped in calming the enraged villagers.

information courtesy : Sehbhagi Shikshan Kendra, Bakshi Ka Talaab)

View and Post comment on this article