'Nirbhay Chetna' Rolled Out to Sensitize Over 17.5 lakh Male Elected Representatives on Women Safety & Gender Equality

📌 Summary:

• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj organised a three-day Training of Trainers (ToT) on Nirbhay Chetna (17-19 June 2026, New Delhi) under the Nirbhaya Fund, described as the largest drive of its kind in the world
• Nirbhay Chetna is a first-of-its-kind national initiative to sensitise men on women's safety, security and gender equality, strengthening gender-responsive governance at the grassroots
• It aims to build a cadre of 28,500 Master Trainers (at State, district and block levels) to reach over 17.5 lakh male elected representatives across the country
• The pilot batch had ~40 master trainers from six States (Assam, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttarakhand); the training module was developed by Transform Rural India
• It is part of the broader "Nirbhay Raho" initiative (launched 11 March 2026) with three components: Nirbhay Netri (capacity-building for elected women representatives), Nirbhay Chetna (sensitising male representatives), and Nirbhay Drishti (CCTV cameras at strategic rural locations)
• Themes include positive masculinity, community participation and the role of Panchayats in advancing women's safety, dignity and inclusion towards Viksit Bharat

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1/GS2 — Women empowerment, gender equality, gender-responsive governance and the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions in social transformation.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Nirbhay Chetna is implemented by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj under the Nirbhaya Fund
• It is a component of the "Nirbhay Raho" initiative launched on 11 March 2026 (with Nirbhay Netri and Nirbhay Drishti)
• Target: 28,500 Master Trainers to reach over 17.5 lakh male elected representatives

🔑 Key Term: Nirbhaya Fund — a dedicated, non-lapsable corpus set up by the Government of India to support initiatives for the safety and security of women.