<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Moving a step ahead in its endeavour to become a progressive state, the Maharashtra Government has issued a Government Resolution urging all gram panchayats in the state to ban wrongful practise of widowhood.</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">AIR correspondent reports that setting an example for the rest of the state, the Herwad village in Kolhapur district took a bold decision to ban widowhood, a funerary practise followed by people for ages. The decision in this regard was taken by passing a resolution in a gram sabha meeting chaired by Block Development Officer Pallavi Kolekar and Sarpanch, Surgonda Patil, recently. The resolution bans the practice of women breaking bangles, wiping off 'kumkum' (vermillion) from the forehead and removing the mangalsutra of a widow as part of rituals that have been handed down over time. </p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;">Taking a cue from this, the state government on its part to has issued a Government Resolution asking all the gram panchayats to ban widowhood in their respective villages. The Herwad gram sabha took a call on banning widowhood after it came to the fore that many bread-winners in various families died either due to the devastating floods in Kolhapur or later due to Covid-19 pandemic.</span></p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br />''</span></p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;">The result of the GR was soon witnessed as a widow from Nashik overcame the barriers and wore ornaments that she was deprived of since her husband died 13 years ago. In days to come, it is expected that more such heartening developments take place as more and more gram sabhas will follow the suit and ban the practise of widowhood to pave way for the women to live a life full of dignity and respect.</span></p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>