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In India the 73rd constitutional Amendment, which provided statutory status to the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) has been particularly important, mandating the community role in planning and development of projects. The amendment created reserved seats for women and Schedule casts and Schedule tribes, potentially providing an opportunity to bring historically margenalized groups into the political process.
Panchayat elections across the country brought over one million women to Panchayati Raj Institutions at all the three levels of the PRIs. The central aim has been to bring women and other margenalized groups into the centre stage of local governance and development processes. To place their respective concerns at the centre of the village, Taluka, District level planning, budgeting etc. Although with reservation for women and schedule castes and tribes the visibility of socially margenalized sections of society in the elected local bodies has improved. (In Uttaranchal as a result of RLEKs & PRAGATIs intensive efforts in pre, during and post election training around 45% women have been elected in PRIs as against the 33% reservations). The caste and class issues play a major factor in determining position, access and decision -making ability. There is thus a need to focus particularly these groups to build their confidence to make their participation in decision-making more effective and reflective of concerns of the sections of society they represent.
An "Open Forum" based on the needs and demands of the recently elected women Panchayat Raj functionaries, is being organized by RLEK and PRAGATI for Elected Women Representatives of Uttaranchal in Dehra Dun, on the 12th and 13th of July 2003 in the KDMIPE Auditorium, Kaulagarh road, Dehradun.
The broad Objectives of the "Open Forum" meeting would be:
To Strengthen Women's network and Advocacy through interface with planners and policy makers.
To build the confidence of the Elected Women Panchayat Raj Functionaries through the interface meeting.
To share the problems and concerns of the elected Women Functionaries with regard to Effective Governance and formulate strategies for the future.
Information dissemination regarding various Government schemes in Panchayats.
Formation of Elected Women's Forum comprising of active elected representatives from each district from Uttaranchal State, to participate and present views with regard to local self-governance on regular basis.
The Elected Women's Forum will act as a pressure group for demanding devolution of 29 departments to Panchayats under the 11th schedule and transfer of 18 departments under the 12th schedule to the Municipalities.
The Women's Forum of Elected members and Women's self help group will seek to advocate for increased accountability of local governments to communities. Together they would seek to widen democratic participation at the grass roots to create pressure groups and to assert their rights to information through Gram Sabhas.
After formation of the hill state of Uttaranchal in November 2000, the Panchayat Raj team of RLEK, separately registered as an all women's organization called PRAGATI, feels that it has greater responsibility in bringing about 'equitable local governance' with a gender perspective. This involves work centered on two main areas. One, to ensure that local government structures and procedures at all three levels create a conducive environment where women can work and effectively contribute in issues relating to development and governance, and second, with regard to improvisation in the basic position and status of women in Uttaranchal. The position of women in the communities of Uttaranchal, is generally low although women have been playing an important role in the economy of Uttaranchal for several generations. Discrimination against women is reflected in the unequal access that men and women have in socio-economic development in general; participation in different activities; education; health care and various development programs.
Every year in an attempt to effect policy changes with regard to local self governance at the macro level, RLEK and PRAGATI organize Interface Meetings ('Khula Manch') for elected women Panchayat Raj Functionaries of Uttaranchal where they are brought face to face with concerned ministers and policy makers to discuss and deliberate upon issues with relation to governance at the local level in Uttaranchal. RLEK's Panchayat Raj team, now a separate legal entity called 'PRAGATI' (Panchayat Rule and Gender Awareness Training Institute), guides and provides intensive training for the elected women representatives to help them focus on existing inequalities and problems that women face at large in their villages and to design women's agenda for development, in largely male dominated public space.
The third Interface Meeting, for elected women after the formation of Uttaranchal was held on the 14th and 15th of November 2000 at Dehradun, and subsequently the fourth forum was organized on 17th and 18th May 2001 in Almora, Kumaon. These Open forums were significant events, for the women Panchayat Raj Representatives. Open Forums organized by RLEK have been instrumental in advocating a stronger role for the Panchayats, stressing upon the importance of the role of women as representatives in these structures who have expressed their aspirations for extensive yet sustainable development for the new State. This of course emanated from their sense of belongingness to the local governance system of their own hill state.
As a result of suggestions put forth by the women at the open forum RLEK and PRAGATI team presented the following suggestion in context to Panchayats before the Standing Committee of the Parliament on Urban and Rural Development, comprising of members from both the houses of the Parliament and all political parties, regarding implementation of the 73rd and 74th Amendment in the country. The all-women team included 3 members from PRAGATI and one elected Boxa Panchayat leader Ms. Leelavati from Rasoolpur, Taungya Their names are mentioned in the report, too.
In their report the committee has referred to the PIL filed by RLEK in 1995 against various states for holding the Panchayat elections. The team views were greatly appreciated by the committee members and the suggestions have been incorporated in the 37th Report of the Thirteenth Lok Sabha.
"The Committee feels that reservations of women have opened the door to revolutionary changes of a political, social and cultural nature. India can truly be proud of being the first and only country in the world to have empowered through free and fair elections, more than one million women who are participating in the Panchayats. The Committee feels that there is still some way to go in changing the apparent empowerment. To this end, the Committee recommends that:
Reservation for women should be extended to at least two terms.
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.
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."
"The Committee finds that rural women are hesitant to attend training programmes along with the men. They, therefore, recommend that separate training programmes should be arranged for such women participants. Besides, special care should be taken for imparting training to SC/ST and Backward Classes."
Thus PRAGATI has been representing women at the Macro level to bring changes at the policy level. Similarly PRAGATI has been actively involved in the elections to the municipalities in the State, which were held in February 2003 under the 74th Amendment to the constitution.
The Fifth "Open Forum" to be held in Dehra Dun in KDMIPE auditorium, Kaulagarh road, will be attended by approximately 600 elected women Panchayat representatives from all the thirteen districts of Uttaranchal.
The members of the 'Uttaranchal Elected Women's Forum', which was, constituted in the interface meeting in November 2000, have been involved with RLEK and PRAGATI team in mobilising women and have been raising issues of concern, which needed attention.
In this Interface/Open Forum, "Uttaranchal Elected Women's Forum" will be reconstituted from the newly Elected Women Panchayat Functionaries from all the thirteen districts of Uttaranchal for advocating policy changes.
The major achievements of the previous interface meetings are given below:
An 'Uttaranchal Elected Women's Forum' was formed during the Interface meeting in November 2000, in order to network effectively with elected women from all over Uttaranchal, This body comprised of one active, elected woman from each district, nominated by the elected women of that district. This nominated member has been representing the elected women of that district for dialogue and deliberations with regard to local self-governance. They have also been responsible for organising and articulating the experiences and needs of the elected women in their district.
An 'Uttaranchal Declaration' was arrived at on the last day of the Open Forum at Almora, which was the compilation of demands and aspirations of women Panchayat Raj Functionaries in Uttaranchal. All women present had ratified it. The Uttaranchal Declaration was sent to all Ministers and bureaucrats of the newly formed Uttaranchal government.
Intense deliberations and discussions with the women Panchayat Raj Functionaries, present at the Open Forum at Dehra Dun helped in formulating what they had envisioned as an ideal structures and procedures for good local self-governance. These were subsequently incorporated in a Draft Uttaranchal Panchayat Raj Act formulated by RLEK and PRAGATI which was submitted to the then Hon'ble Chief Minister of Uttaranchal, Mr. Nityanand Swami who had assured the Legislative Assembly that the Uttaranchal Panchayat Raj Act would be tabled in the March session of the Legislative Assembly (Year 2001) and almost all the important and relevant features of the Draft Panchayat Raj Act would be incorporated in the Uttaranchal Panchayat Act.
The Forum was of the view that the Uttaranchal government should stop its proposed move to create parallel bodies at the village level such as the Van Panchayats, Joint Forest Management Committees etc. which water down the letter and spirit of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, as such, a step, which would marginalise and ignore the powers and responsibilities of the elected bodies over the natural resources. The Forum felt that these parallel bodies were mere vehicles for siphoning off the loans from World Bank by the bureaucracy.
Another suggestion made at forum was that, as per the 11th Schedule of the 73rd Amendment all the 29 departments should be transferred to the elected Panchayats and full power and control to begin with should be devolved as per the letter and spirit of the Constitution. The control and administration of two priority area departments, Health and Education should be transferred to PRIs The forum also resolved that primary and secondary school teachers should not be involved in other duties like census, preparing voters list etc which hamper the studies of the children.
The Forum also urged the holding of fair and timely elections to the Panchayats, due in October 2001, which was subsequently held in February 2003, had unanimously demanded the delimitation of Panchayats/Gram Sabhas based upon geographical basis rather than demographic basis. The names of the reserved seats for women should be publicized widely and known at least two months in advance. The Forum had also resolved that 5 years was too short a period for elected women representatives to demonstrate an impact and therefore the same reserved seats for women should be continued for another 5 years. The forum had recommended, that Members of Legislative Assemblies and Members of Legislative Councils were also elected for 5 years and that by mere transferring themselves into a new State, they cannot, continue unconstitutionally and illegally in power beyond 5 years. It was resolved that the seats once declared reserved for women should not be subject to de-reservation through the intervention of influential people with vested interests.
During the Open Forum at Kumaon, the Women Panchayat Functionaries had expressed their dismay at the government's move to ignore the suggestions put forth in the Draft Panchayat Raj Act, 2001 prepared after long deliberations at the 3rd Open Forum organised by RLEK and PRAGATI at Dehra Dun in November 2000 which had been presented to the then Hon'ble Chief Minister of Uttaranchal and the Minister for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development. The government of Uttaranchal, under influence of the bureaucracy, had constituted an all-male committee of government officials and had completely ignored female involvement. This was indicative of Government's insensitivity towards women who have played a major role in the creation of Uttaranchal after great sacrifices. The Forum had unanimously condemned such attitude in the light of the fact that the Prime Minister and the Central Government had declared the year 2001 as the year of "Women's Empowerment". The participants had viewed this action of the new government, as an attempt to disempower women thus constituting a betrayal of national policies.
Another suggestion, which was made at the Kumaon Forum, was that the heads of the Kshetra Panchayats and the Zilla Panchayats should be elected directly by the people themselves rather than being nominated by elected members. All the samities, relating to the subjects transferred to the Panchayats under the 73rd Amendment, constituted at the Gram Kshetra and Zilla levels should be headed by Gram Pradhan, Kshetra Pramukh and Zilla Adhyaksh respectively. The Forum had also suggested that the right to remove the Gram Pradhan should rest with the Gram Sabha, as it selects the Gram Pradhan.
The forum had also demanded for a separate State Election Commission for local bodies for Uttaranchal.
At the Kumoan Forum, the women had urged, the Election Commission, that it should ensure, that not only distinct election symbols are issued to candidates in order to avoid confusion but also the symbols so issued should be such that they are easily identifiable by the communities in their own context.
Another resolution which was made at the Kumaon forum, was, that in addition to other welfare and development budgets, 10% of the total state budget should be earmarked exclusively for the welfare of women including widows and other needy women. This 10% fund should be at the disposal of the Panchayats and not be routed through the bureaucracy.
Despite the fact that during the previous Open Forum in November 2000, the women Panchayat Raj Functionaries were assured by the then Hon'ble Chief Minister of Uttaranchal, Shri Nityanand Swami, that the State government shall take all possible steps towards the prohibition of liquor in Uttaranchal, but till date the government has not taken any steps whatsoever in this direction and in fact sale of liquor was encouraged by the State government. At the Kumaon Forum, the women had condemned the attitude of the government and had demanded that liquor should be prohibited in the state of Uttaranchal.
The present government also has not been able to address the concerns and demands that were raised in the previous Open Forums. Some issues require immediate attention. One such example is the issue of forests, which are fast depleting. Unless their upkeep, management, and protection is redefined and the control is given to Panchayats, women will keep walking further and further away from their villages to gather firewood and fodder for their animals while their forests continue to vanish. It is important to emphasize that development starts from the grassroots.
Empowerment of women can be seen not only from how the women articulate in bringing forth their issues but also from the fact that they can effectively contribute to governance and their eagerness to participate actively.
This Interface Meeting in Dehra Dun will provide a chance for women from all districts of Uttaranchal to press for their demands. RLEK feels this Open Forum is a golden opportunity to tap the energies and enthusiasm of the newly elected women for raising issues of development in their State.
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