Elected sarpanches aim to provide basic amenities to poor
Faridabad: The implementation of education norm in the Panchayati Raj elections seems to have come as a plank for educated youths to jump into the political mainstream at the ground level.
It is for the first time that around 16 elected sarpanches are graduates or post-graduate. The district has a total of 116 village panchayats.
Though, as per the norms, class X pass was the basic qualification for the post of sarpanch.
The eligibility for women and SC candidates was Class VIII pass. The number of candidates who are graduate or post-graduate has risen to 13.8 per cent of the total 116 posts of sarpanches.
It is revealed that there were only five sarpanches in the district who were graduate in the past term. As per the details of the winners’ profile, 28 of the newly elected sarpanches are Class XII qualified and 68 are Class X pass. There are only 14 persons who are Class VIII pass.
“One of the overwhelming fact is that as many as seven of the graduate sarpanches are women,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
Nasir Khan (22), who has been elected sarpanch of Bijopur village, is a final-year student of BBA course in a private university.
He said the poor basic amenities in the village and failure of the previous panchayats motivated him to contest the elections.
He said he wanted to change the way the village body functioned, especially in the field of education. Majority of Class X students of his village had failed to clear the first semester exams held recently, he claimed.
Anju Rani (22), the youngest women sarpanch of Chandawali village, also dreams of transforming the conditions prevailing at the ground level.
Sonia (24), who becomes the new sarpanch of Lahdola village, is the highest qualified Sarpanch with degrees of LLB, MA and B.Ed.
