Chennai (Tamil Nadu), October 4: Government of Tamil Nadu asked Grama Sabhas to take a pledge towards gender equality and against social evils. On Saturday, October 2nd on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti a large number of people who participated in the Grama Sabha meetings across Tamil Nadu for the first time, took an oath to treat everyone with respect regardless of their caste, gender, religion, and to respect women and eschew dowry.

Grama Sabhas meeting was held in Tamil Nadu after two years, 2020 session was canceled due to Covid-19 pandemic.  

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin also took part in the Grama Sabha which was held at Pappapatti reserved village panchayat near Usilampatti. Along with Chief Minister, Panchayat president S. Muruganantham, vice-president Lakshmi, Secretary to Chief Minister and former Madurai Collector T. Udhayachandran, and the incumbent, S. Aneesh Sekhar, elected representatives, officials, other panchayat officials, and residents took an oath to promote work against female foeticide and infanticide, gender equality and not to protect sexual predators.

The Director of Rural Development Department said that the pledges on zero tolerance, resolutions for removing hoardings, eradicating poverty, and preventing child marriages should also be included in the agenda for such meetings.

“I solemnly affirm that I will respect women, treat them equally, will not indulge in sexual harassment or violence against them (women), and will stand with the survivors of the violence by complaining against the perpetrators, speak against female infanticide and foeticide and ensure that the society is free of dowry”, the pledge said.

“I will strive towards building a strong Tamil Nadu by treating everyone as equal regardless of their gender, caste, and religion”, the pledge further said.

The pledge was taken by government officials and school students. Tamil Nadu is the first state in the country to include a pledge for gender equality in the Grama Sabha meetings.

The Father of the Nation dreamt of Grama Rajyam, CM Stalin said and the real India was in the villages. Equality was the basis for development and no development was possible in a society without unity, as Mahatma Gandhi said a good democracy should listen to the voice of the last person, I have come here to do the same, he added.