The idea of Sports is Reinforced in the realm of Rural areas by "Hockey Wali Sarpanch," Neeru Yadav.

Hockey Wali Sarpanch Neeru Yadav

In contrast to urban development, which refers to raising people's standards of living, rural development deals with issues like education, public health, and sanitation. Despite being the origins of historical tradition and culture, rural areas are often thought to be plagued by several ills, such as superstitions, illiteracy, a lack of education, inadequate health care facilities, poor management, poverty, and so forth. Hence, there is a need for rural development. The phrase "rural development" focuses on the initiatives taken to develop rural communities and boost their economies.

Unlike urban areas, which have their own local governments, rural areas have their own form of self-government called the Panchayati Raj system. Run by the five Panches, the Panchayati Raj functions to maintain peace in the village in addition to its other major functions like women's development, primary education of children, child development, women's participation in local government, agricultural development, etc. Since there can always be a chance of exception, we come across the exceptional personality of Neeru Yadav, the Sarpanch, popularly known by the title "Hockey Wali Sarpanch."

In addition to the role of Panchayati Raj mentioned above, Sarpanch Neeru Yadav has also extended the circumference of her responsibility to include sports in rural areas.

When we talk about rural areas, we come to find a picture of men playing a major role in various activities. Even today in many rural areas, women are seen to be restricted to the four walls of their houses, thus being denied many opportunities. Neeru Yadav, being a woman herself, has played an instrumental role in bringing women from rural areas to the forefront. Not only has she promoted sports in rural areas, but she has also put special emphasis on encouraging girls and women to be active participants in sports.

Being a potential leader and a woman of her words, Neeru Yadav left no stone unturned in bringing women into the field of sports. She started this journey by distributing hockey kits to the girls of the village. With her two years' honorarium, she managed to sponsor a hockey team for the girls of the Gram Panchayat. Taking all this to a professional level, she even hired a coach to train and guide the girls. On the playground at Pacheri Kalan, Neeru Yadav made sure that all the facilities were available for the girls.

With all these efforts, Neeru Yadav boosted the confidence of the girls, which ultimately opened the doors of success for this girl's hoops team. This team of Lambi Ahir Panchayat became the winner at the block level and was also ready to participate at the district level. With their flying colours of success and a bright smile on their faces, the girls of the team of Lambi Ahir Panchayat set another example of women's empowerment. This also became the reason behind Neeru Yadav's title, "Hockey Wali Sarpanch."

Neeru Yadav is the first woman to serve as a sarpanch in India who has made significant contributions to rural development and founded the "Sachhi Saheli Mahila Agro" FPO. Together with NABARD, SIIRD (the Society of Indian Institute of Rural Development) assisted the Sarpanch in creating a "farmer-producer organisation." Neeru Yadav now stands as the chairman of this organisation. She also made the most of the Prime Minister's "Kaushal Vikas Yojana." She spread the idea of skill development, which motivated the youth to develop new skills and get employed.

A leader with some ideal vision and noble thought, Neeru Yadav wins many hearts and deserves all the respect.