Youngest sarpanch in Punjab gets call from PM

22-year-old woman head of Hara Narainpur in Pathankot among chosen sarpanches from across the country who interacted with Modi through video conference on National Panchayati Raj Day

Pathankot The youngest sarpanch of Punjab, Pallavi Thakur, 22, was among a few village heads across the country who interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, via video conference, on the National Panchyati Raj Day on Friday.

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The young woman, elected sarpanch two years ago, says she gave up her BSc (IT) course in Chandigarh to serve people better. The village has a population of around 2,000.

She says, “Before the call, officials from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) called me to be prepared. It was a real surpris, but it was a great experience speaking with the PM. I told him about the action plan I had adopted to deal with covid-19.”

She added, “I also told the PM that we have put barriers on the two entry roads of our village. No outsider is allowed to enter and no villager is allowed to leave his house.”

The village has no covid-19 case, with the district reporting 24.

She added that she also briefed the PM on how her panchayat was helping farmers transport produce to government hubs, while following social distancing. “The PM told me he had spent some time in Punjab and assured me of his support and help,” Pallavi added. — With PTI inputs