Around 500 grassroots women leaders from rural and urban areas of the country underwent a day-long training on various facets of governance in the National Capital on Friday. The initiative ‘Panchayat Se Parliament Tak’ (From Panchayat to Parliament) was organised by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in collaboration with the Institute of Constitutional and Parliament Studies in the Parliament House complex in Delhi. The women included sarpanches as well as leaders from urban local bodies from different parts of the country. Inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the training programme included sessions on the legal framework of Panchayati Raj, gender-sensitive governance, and the role of Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping in rural planning. The session on GIS mapping highlighted its importance as a crucial tool in offering essential services to rural areas like land records management and other enabling activities like land acquisition, crop rotation, taxation, and revenue collection. The ‘Panchayat Se Parliament Tak’ initiative represents a transformative step towards fostering empowered women leaders, ensuring their active participation and leadership in the political landscape, from grassroots governance to national-level policymaking, NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma said. Speaker Birla emphasized the significance of empowering women in politics. ‘Indian democracy is a testament to the vibrant tapestry of diverse voices, where the power of unity amidst diversity shapes the symphony of progress and inclusivity.’ Mr. Birla added that India is moving from women’s participation in development and women’s empowerment to women-led development and women’s leadership. He said the women’s reservation Bill, which was passed by the Parliament and mandates reserving one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislatures for women, will prove to be a game-changer in bringing women to leadership roles in the decision-making process. The Speaker said that women were taking a leap in making the nation aatmanirbhar (self-reliant).