Patna, Mar 7 : Bihar Panchayati Raj Minister Samrat Chaudhary on Monday said that a total of 58 percent women were elected in Panchayat elections held in 2021 in the state. Chaudhary while replying to debate on supplementary budgetary demand of his department in Assembly, said that there was no reservation for women in Bihar before 2005 when NDA government was voted to power. During the regime of RJD and Congress, no step was taken to provide reservation to women in Panchayati Raj institutions in the state, he added. The Minister said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, NDA government had taken a historic decision to provide 50 reservation to women in Panchayati Raj institutions in the year 2006. It was vital step for women empowerment in Bihar, he added. Chaudhary said that it was pleasure for him to inform the House that 58 percent women were elected in Panchayat elections held in 2021. EVMs were used for the first time in Panchayat elections, he added. The Minister said for the first time in the country, biometric system was introduced for voting in Panchayat elections to check any possibility of bogus voting. Delegations from Maharashtra, Rajasthan Chandigarh and Pondicherry had arrived in Bihar last year to study the process of Panchayat elections in the state, he added. Chaudhary said that 14 lakhs solar lights would be installed in villages in 1,13,000 wards across the state. Remote Monitoring System (RMS) would be introduced to keep vigil on whether solar lights were in proper conditions. Entire system could be monitored to see whether any solar light in a particular ward was being handled properly and for how many hours, it was being lighted, he added. The Minister said that at present 3200 panchayat sarkar buildings were in various stages of constructions. In next financial year, construction works of 3,000 new panchayat sarkar buildings would be taken up by the government, he added and urged the members to send a list of plots available for the purpose in their respective areas. The supplement budgetary demand of Panchayati Raj department of Rs 644.22 Crores for the financial year 2021-22 was passed along with supplementary budgetary demands of other department in House. The House also passed third supplementary budget for the financial year 2021-22 and related Bihar Appropriation Bill 2022 presented by Deputy Chief Minister Tar Kishore Prasad. KKS BM