Meet Jabna Chauhan, India's youngest sarpanch

The gram panchayat of Tharjun, located in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, has recently become popular because of its sarpanch, Jabna Chauhan. She was only 22 years old when she was elected to the post last year and is the youngest sarpanch not only in her state but the entire country.

Hailing from a poor background, Jabna completed her education from local schools and colleges and contested the election with the desire to make her panchayat an example the entire region could follow.

She began her career as an anchor and reporter at a news channel. However, her desire to work for the development of society is what has now brought her here, and she has brought about massive changes in just one year.

In the panchayat's general assembly meeting, she introduced a rule to prohibit alcohol in the village. Though she faced initial oppositions, she continued working towards bringing about its success.

Sundar Nagar’s Samajik Jagaran Manch requested the government to make their sarpanch Jabna Chauhan the brand ambassador for alcohol prohibition to speed up the process. She also participated in the national seminar held in Gujarat, and the people from her village see her work as the beginning of a positive change.

Tharjun has been awarded the first position in the cleanliness department, and Governor Acharya Dev Vrat has appreciated her for the same. She has also received appreciation from Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for all her efforts, and has been honoured as the 'best sarpanch’.

Jabna was honoured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of International Women’s Day and also received praise from Akshay Kumar during Toilet-Ek Prem Katha promotions for her Swachh Bharat initiatives.

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