Panchayati Rule and Gender Awareness Training Institute


Gender equity in Local Governance through Transformative Leadership and Citizenship

VISION - To build a gender just society.
MISSION - To enhance the status of women in social, economic and political sphere

ACHIEVEMENTS:

After the formation of Uttrakhand in 2000, PRAGATI has extended its work to all 13 districts. The organization, directly or indirectly has been instrumental in building capacities of over 30000 women through information, team building skills, organizational skills and confidence building with gender perspective, with a political vision.



The  intervention, has enabled women to cross the stipulated 33% landmark figure (minimum representation of women) in the last elections.

·  As part of RLEK ,PRAGATI lobbied for the Voting Rights of the Van Gujjar an Indigenous marginalised Community with the Election Commission under the Right of Franchise - a Fundamental Right of each citizen of India. As a result, the Van Gujjars and all other nomadic communities in the country were included in the electoral lists. Today, the Van Gujjar community women and men, through political representation in Local Bodies have been able to negotiate and establish their demands in the mainstream.

PRAGATI filed a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) in the Supreme Court vide WP (Civil) No.719 in 1995 to upheld the monumental 73rd Constitutional Amendment in its true letter and spirit. Despite its passage, the States of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Bihar did not hold the Panchayat elections. Reacting to this,  The plea was upheld and the states were ordered to hold fresh elections. Panchayat elections have since been held in all these states with the exception of Bihar which adhered to the order at a later stage, thus dissolving illegal Panchayats that had been continuing for the last 18 years.

PRAGATI’s presentation on the impact of the 73rd and 74th Amendments before the Standing Committee of the Parliament on Urban and Rural Development, comprising of members from both the houses of the Parliament in December 2001 was greatly appreciated by the committee members and the following suggestions were incorporated in the 37th Report of the Thirteenth Lok Sabha.

(i)  Reservation for women should be extended to at least two terms.

(ii) No – confidence motions against women Chairpersons should not be allowed to be tabled more than once in two years, no oftener, so as to end the widespread harassment of women Chairpersons through threats of No confidence motions, which the Committee find, are more in vogue with respect to women than men Chairperson.

(iii) If a woman Chairperson or a member is removed for any reason whatsoever, she must be replaced by another woman of the same category, not by a man, whether in full or acting charge.”

On 26th November 2006, His Excellency, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of SriLanka, inaugurated the Indo-SriLanka Human Rights Centre and released a book published by PRAGATI on 'Women and Governance in South Asia – A Book on Capacity Building" at RLEK, Dehradun.

PRAGATI along with Elected Women Representatives formulated a Draft Panchayat Raj Act for Uttarakhand in 2001 and presented it to the then Chief Minister and Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in the State Legislative Assembly.

With the relentless efforts of PRAGATI, many EWRs have undertaken spectacular work in their Panchayats. Naming a few, Ms. Surojna Devi, Gram Pradhan, Dhadkan, in support of PRAGATI has been conferred with the Grassroots Women of the Year 2005 Award for her exemplary work in Panchayats. Another Gram Pradhan, Ms. Maina Devi has also been awarded for her contribution to Panchayats by Girija Vyas, Chairperson, National Commission for Women.

RLEK supports 50% reservation for women in PR elections

Training modules

panchayat raj women  functionary receives accolades