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Women Empowerment and Panchayati Raj System. Women Empowerment & Panchayati Raj. Women constitute almost 50% of the population. Reservation of seats for women in PRIs – 73 rd Constitution Amendment Act, 1992.
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Women Empowerment & Panchayati Raj Women constitute almost 50% of the population Reservation of seats for women in PRIs – 73rd Constitution Amendment Act, 1992. There is the need to build the capacities of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) in order to achieve their active participation in PRIs. It is essential that women have all of the necessary competencies and skills to strengthen interlinkages among the three tiers of Panchayati Raj i.e. Zila Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat and with other departments. Gender sensitization, strengthening the women collectives and building networks are also some of the strategies for capacity building of EWRs.
Empowering EWRs • The term “empowerment” is derived from the word “power”. • Empowerment refers to a range of activities from individual self-assertion to collective resistance, protest and mobilization that challenge basic power relations. • For individuals and groups where class, caste, ethnicity and gender determine their access to resources and power, their empowerment begins when they not only recognize the systemic forces that oppress them, but act to change existing power relationships. • Empowerment, therefore, is a process aimed at changing the nature and direction of systemic forces that marginalize women and other disadvantaged sectors in a given context.
To ensure that elected women representatives are able to emerge as effective political agents, it is important that they possess the essential skills and qualities such as: • being confident, • assertive, decisive, • controlling, • focused, • fearless, • ambitious etc. Women themselves must identify their own leadership potential and what they have and can contribute to their communities as EWRs.
Power Relations Power Over • It has many negative associations for people, such as repression, force, coercion, discrimination, corruption, and abuse. • When people are denied access to important resources like land, healthcare, and jobs power over perpetuates inequality, injustice and poverty. Power With • Based on mutual support, solidarity and collaboration, power with multiplies individual talents and knowledge. • Power with can help build bridges across different interests to transform or reduce social conflict and promote equitable relations.
Power Relations contd... Power To • When based on mutual support, it opens up the possibilities of joint action, or power with. • It is based on the belief that each individual has the power to make a difference. Power Within • It includes an ability to recognize individual differences while respecting others. • Power within is the capacity to imagine and have hope; it affirms the common human search for dignity and fulfilment.
Women’s Empowerment Framework It identifies and addresses the overlapping problems of poverty and gender inequality. Empowerment is a dynamic process and is also demonstrated by the quality of people’s participation in the decisions and processes affecting their lives.
Structure and Functions of Panchayati Raj Institutions viz-a-viz Roles and Responsibilities of EWR's What is a Gram Sabha? • It is a village assembly consisting of persons registered in the electoral rolls. All the people included in the electoral rolls of a village shall be the members of the Gram Sabha of that village. • It is a structure founded entirely on people’s power (Lokshakti) expressing itself in the form of village power (Gramshakti). • It provides a base for the three-tier structure of the PRIs in the district, viz. Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Panchayat
Functions of Gram Sabha is to: • Transform subsistence village economy • Facilitating administration and development affairs. • Vigilance on the implementation of development programs • Eliminate inefficiencies and misuse of development funds. Other roles include: • It is an institutional forum to mobilize members • to participate, suggest, debate on their common problems • Understand the needs and aspirations of the • village community and contribute to decision- • making process at village level. • It can discuss, share and analyze the likely impact of policy initiatives of elected representatives. • It can discuss issues and suggest programs on • improving quality of life and achieving development goals, • ensuring social security, gender justice, hygiene and nutrition • sustainable development, diversification of agriculture, better crop/livestock/ fish farming practices, opportunities for improving incomes, drought/flood management, soil and water conservation, • Infrastructure development, etc.
Role of the Secretary in the Gram Sabha • Issue notice of the gram sabha meeting • Provide wide publicity about the date, time and venue of the gram sabha meeting. • She will prepare the Action Taken Report of the previous meetings and prepare the Agenda Note for the Gram Sabha. • To ensure venue is suitable for all the members to assemble • To facilitate drinking water and sanitation facilities • During the Gram Sabha, Secretary or her/his representative will take note of all the proceedings, maintain attendance, assist the Sarpanch in the recording of the Minutes and maintain the details of the resolution passed • After the Gram Sabha, the Secretary will co-ordinate between the Gram Sabha and the GP decisions and ensure that these decisions are honoured in the Gram Panchayat.
How to organize a Gram Sabha? There are two types of Gram Sabha meetings:- • General meetings are meetings mandated in the State Panchayati Raj Act, Rules or executive instructions. • Special Gram Sabhas are held at the request of higher level authorities or on demand of Gram Sabha members to plan on any special issue or in the case of any emergency.
Points to consider while conducting Gram Sabha meetings are:
Quorum The minimum number of members that need to be present in the Gram Sabha meeting is called ‘Quorum’. Most of the states require a quorum of 10% of the total gram sabha members. In addition, the presence of SC/ST, OBC and Women members in proportion to their population is also necessary Agenda The purpose of each Gram Sabha meeting must be clear. For this, it is important to prepare a good agenda for the meeting.
A sample agenda is given below: • Name of the Meeting: General Meeting of Gram Sabha • Date: 2nd October, 2017 • Time: 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm • Venue: PanchayatBhawan • Purpose: Approval of Plan for the 2018-19 Number of Meetings • There is no bar on organizing more meetings. • There is no limit on the number of special or emergency meetings of Gram Sabha. • In Rajasthan, there are two mandatory meetings of the Gram Sabha per year.
How to make Gram Sabha Inclusive? • All members of the village irrespective of caste, creed, sex, gender or economic or social status can participate in the Gram Sabha. • The medium of communication has to be in the mother tongue of the residents, and this is a precondition for inclusion. • The Gram Sabha has to ensure that there is participation of individuals specially from socially marginalised and deprived groups in the village. • Special efforts have to be taken to ensure that there is participation of members from the Schedule Caste (SC), Schedule Tribe (ST) and Denotified Nomadic Tribes (DNT) community. • The panchayat should make efforts to facilitate and ensure the participation of women in the gram sabhas.
Gram Panchayat What is Gram Panchayat? • Gram Panchayat (GP) is considered as the “cornerstone” of the Panchayati Raj system which operates at the village or small town level. • The voters of villages elect its GP in its jurisdiction. • It is a self-governed institution. • The number of members in a Gram Panchayat depends upon the population of the village. • The Panchayat is elected for five years. • The members of the Panchayats are elected directly by the people of the village. Composition of the Gram Panchayat The GP consists of elected members: - • GP President (Sarpanch/ Mukhia/ Pradhan), Ward Members (Panch) and • GP officials such as Secretary, Accountant etc.
In addition various departmental functionaries and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) set up by different departments also perform important functions for the GP.
Key Members of a Panchayat Committee: Sarpanch, Up-Sarpanch and Ward Panch • All the Elected Representatives (ERs) of the GP together form the Panchayat Committee. • The Panchayat Committee is responsible for taking decisions, such as approving plans and budgets, reviewing progress etc. • It is also responsible for ensuring democratic decision making through the involvement of the people. • The GP President (Sarpanch) is the chairperson of the Panchayat Committee, and performs his/her duties as per the decisions of the Panchayat Committee. • The GP President is the executive head of the GP who presides over and conducts the meetings of the GP. She/He is also the administrative head of the Gram Panchayat. • The GP Vice- President (Up-Sarpanch) performs all functions of GP President in his/her absence.
What are the functions of Gram Panchayat? Plans: • To prepare annual development plan for the GP based on priorities decided by Gram Sabha and for various rural development schemes • To prepare programmes for the panchayat for raising agricultural productivity and organise training for village farmers, as well as arrange for distribution of quality seeds, fertilizers and agricultural implements Finances: • To prepare annual budget • To mobilize own income of the GP through levying taxes, fees, penalties, rent, auction of panchayat resources/properties etc.
Functions of Gram Panchayat Cont... Data collection and Survey: • To facilitate different surveys - as per local needs. • To maintain annual statistics related to villages of the GP • To assist in census operations for population census of humankind, cattle, other natural resources, etc. • To prepare statistics of the rural unemployed • To maintain and preserve all records and registers of the GP • To register births, marriages and deaths of rural people, in the prescribed format
Functions of Gram PanchayatCont... Resource Management: • To enlist and maintain the assets of the GP Exercise control over common property resources. To remove encroachments from the common property resources of the • villages-pasture lands, grass lands, graveyards, common pathways, water bodies, forests, etc. • To ensure availability of essential commodities (viz.-wheat, rice, sugar, kerosene etc.) under Public Distribution System, at fair price shops to promote pasture, forest and watershed development in rural areas.
Community Organisation: • To mobilise community contribution in construction and development works, by way of voluntary labour or material contribution from the people • To observe, organise and regulate arrangements for village fairs, haat-bazars, pilgrim places and festivals • To convene fortnightly meetings and address public grievances through consultation with GP members. • To convene periodic meetings of the standing committees of the GP, as per prescribed rules and review the progress of the on-going schemes/programmes related to the subjects assigned to the standing committees. • To convene Ward Sabhas and Gram Sabhas, as per rules on six-monthly/quarterly basis, for preparing gender-responsive and inclusive development plans as per local felt needs and to undertake periodic social audit of the plans being implemented. • Formulation of important committees like School Committee, Swachhta, Committee etc.
Distribution of Benefits: • Timely distribution of all developmental grants, relief, aid and inputs given by the state/ Central government to the beneficiaries. • To ensure drinking water facilities, street lights, village sanitation, household, public and institutional toilets and waste management (under total sanitation campaign) for providing basic civic amenities to the villagers • To plan for and implement various poverty reduction programmes for ensuring upliftment of rural poor from poverty and hunger • To identify eligible beneficiaries under various beneficiary schemes for providing benefits different social security schemes, housing schemes, PDS and Food security, • Bank Loans for self-employment of SHG members etc.
Schemes and Programmes : • To promote universal coverage of school children under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Right to Eduction (RTE) (6-14 years age group), and provision of Mid-Day-Meal for school children in government schools and ensure adult literacy and continuing education (for 15 to 35 years age group) under Sakshar Bharat Mission. • To oversee effective implementation of primary health care services for rural people, under National Rural Health Mission, especially for better quality of life for mothers and children, also promote family planning services for population stabilisation • To monitor effective coverage of children under universal immunisationprogramme and coverage of cattle population under their immunisationprogramme • To oversee effective implementation of services provided for women and children under Integrated Child Development Services through Anganwadicentres, available in all villages • To implement the MGNREGS for providing wage employment to eligible rural adults • To supervise and give leadership to all the development functionaries working at the GP level.
Zilla Panchayat • The District / Zila Panchayat constitute the apex body of the three-tier structure of the Panchayati Raj system. • The Panchayat at the district level is called ZilaParishad /District Panchayat. • It consists of representatives of the PanchayatSamiti, all members of the State Legislative and the Parliament representing a part or whole of the district, all district level officers of the Medical, Public Health, Public Works, Engineering, Agriculture, Education and other development departments. Besides, ZilaParishad is also entrusted with the duty of inspiring entrepreneurial spirit and implementing employment schemes. • There is also a provision for special representation of women, members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes provided they are not adequately represented in the normal course. • The collector is also a member of the ZilaParishad. The Chairman of the ZilaParishad is elected from among its members. There is a Chief Executive Officer in the ZilaParishad. He is deputed to the ZilaParishad by the State Government. • There are subject matter specialists or officers at the district level in all the states for various development programmes. • The term of each District Panchayat is five years unless dissolved earlier. In most of the States their meeting must be held at least once in three months.
