UN Women South Asia (3)

The determined look on her face and the confidence in her voice cannot be ignored. Neither can you miss the warmth of the close bond that binds her with the people of her village. Diptirani Rout , a 41-year-old mother of two, truly exemplifies woman power.

An economic honours graduate from Dhenkenal Women’s college in Odisha, Diptirani is serving her second consecutive term as Sarpanch( head of the village council ) of Balrampur Gram Panchayat ( village council ) in Dhenkenal district…

Brutal physical assault, blackmail, threatening calls from the local villagers. These are but some of the hardships that have come in the way of Manjulata Sahu, the first woman Sarpanch ( head of village council) of Nadra Gram Panchayat (village council) in Odisha state of India.

Before becoming a Sarpanch, Manjulata was an active social worker, besides being the President of the Federation of Self-Help groups in her village. She stood for elections after the village community…

History was created in 2008 when the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan ended more than a century of royal rule and moved towards a democratic system of governance. Three years later, another milestone was achieved when 28-year-old Namgay Peldon got elected as the Gup of Tashiding Gewog located in Dagana Dzongkhag. Namgay is the only woman to be elected as a Gup in Bhutan, ever since the nation went to polls in 2008.

 

Namgay attributes this win to the overwhelming support she received…