Nazneen Patel: Empowering Women and Transforming Apta Village as the Sarpanch

Nazneen Patel was the Sarpanch of Apta village, located  near Mumbai Panvel, for the past two and half  years. As the second  woman to hold this position in Apta, Patel has focused on  addressing issues that specifically impact women and has  worked tirelessly to improve her community.  Team VUCCD conducted an interview with Patel and tried to unfold events in and incidents in her public life.

Vidhi Mehetar ( BAJMC Second Year Student)

Inspiration and Entry into Politics:

Patel’s interest in politics began in her childhood, driven by a  desire to contribute positively to her village. Although she  initially lacked the opportunity to act on this passion, the  introduction of the Mahila Arakshan reservation system  provided her with a chance. This system allocates seats for  women in local government bodies, which allowed her to run  for the position of Sarpanch. Determined to make a  difference, she decided to stand for election and successfully  secured the seat.

Challenges and Achievements: 

Patel encountered significant resistance, particularly from  those who were skeptical of a woman holding such a  position. Some members of the opposing party were  disappointed with her selection and were not supportive of her leadership. Despite this, Patel remained committed to her  role and her vision for her village.

She has made notable strides in several areas ranging from  Installation of CCTV cameras to enhance  women’s safety, implementation of street lighting to improve  public safety, and organizing safety camps focused on  menstrual health education.

She led   marches to raise awareness  and take a stand against rape cases. Additionally, she has  organized safety camps in local schools to educate and  protect young women.

She  revamped a neglected area of  the village, known as Vaadi, which has been transformed with  new street lights and concrete roads. This area has been  recognized as “Adarsh Vaadi” (Ideal Area) due to these  improvements.

Under Patel’s leadership, the village has benefited from  various government schemes designed to support women,  including:

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: A scheme to promote the education  and welfare of girls.

She also highlighted the role of women’s self-help groups  (Bachat Gat) in providing support and fostering economic  empowerment among women in the village.

Patel shared that initially, working in a predominantly male  environment made her feel nervous. However, over time, she  gained confidence and felt more secure in her role. Although  she faced criticism and opposition from some quarters, her  determination to serve her village and her belief in her  mission helped her overcome these challenges.

Patel concluded with a powerful statement: (A woman is the key to human  development). This reflects her belief in the vital role women  play in driving progress and development within their  communities.

Nazneen Patel’s tenure as Sarpanch exemplifies the positive  impact that women can have in leadership roles, particularly  in fostering community development and addressing gender specific issues.