Chhavi Rajawat seems like your regular corporate girl. Having done an MBA from a university in Pune, she has quite a resume with names like The Times of India, Carlson Group of Hotels and Airtel to her credit. But what makes her different is the fact that she is currently working as an elected sarpanch in a small village in Rajasthan.
Having worked in the corporate world, Chhavi realised that change needs to be brought about from the grass-root level and that took her back to her village, Soda, in Rajasthan’s Tonk district.
Becoming Indian’s first woman sarpanch with an MBA degree, Chhavi works to bring better water, solar power, paved roads, toilets and a bank to her village. “If India continues to make progress at the same pace as it has for the past 65 years since independence, it just won’t be good enough. We’ll be failing people who dream about having water, electricity, toilet, schools and jobs. I am convinced we can do it differently and do it faster,” she said in an interview with NDTV.
Chhavi has to her credit the construction of more than 40 roads along with improving the quality of life in the village. In an interview with Hindustan Times she said, “Out of the total 900 houses at Soda, toilets have been constructed in 800 houses. A soft drink company spent Rs.20 lakh for cleanliness of a pond, the only source of drinking water in the village.”
With women like Chhavi spearheading progress at the grass-root levels we certainly have high hopes for our country in the coming year. More power to you, Chhavi Rajawat!
