BANGKOK: 31-year-old Ankita Parmar , elected representative for nearly 88 villages from rural Gujarat, was India's voice from the grassroots on "women led development" at an event on the sidelines of the Asia - Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing +30 review that started in Bangkok with member countries making statements about progress made towards achieving the goals and priority actions to support gender equality and women's empowerment. India showcased its work with self help groups (SHGs) to enable economic empowerment and how its panchayat leaders were trying to make a difference at the grassroots. Taluka panchayat president Parmar, for instance, has been leading the way on sustainable livelihoods by mobilising women of Por village in Vadodara to form SHGs to get the "Best From Waste" - a training project where they collect flowers and coconuts offerings, that would have been otherwise disposed of, from a famous local temple and make products like incense sticks and mats that people can use.
Ankita, daughter of a ‘sarpanch’, says that she is here to reinforce through her journey only one message - "if I can step out of my home and make a difference in a village other women too can do it." India in its country statement led by officials from the WCD ministry brought into focus the steps taken towards financial inclusion ranging from 1.4 million elected women representatives taking decisions at grassroots level political institutions to 100 million women steer.
