Women empowerment in Panchayati Raj remains unrealised

NEW DELHI: Women may have stormed the male bastion under the Panchayati Raj system, but in many cases it is the husbands or male members of their families who are calling the shots.

The Panchayati Raj Ministry has received complaints that it is the spouses or male members of the families of elected women representatives in the rural bodies who are running the office.

"Ministry has received many complaints that spouses or male relatives of the elected women representatives act as de-facto Pradhans or Pramuks and interfere in the functioning of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)," official sources in the ministry said.

Elected women representatives have reportedly been reduced to proxies of their male relatives and are under the control of "male-dominated political party system", they said.

Out of 28 lakh elected panchayat representatives in the country, about 10 lakh are estimated to be women. The number of elected women representatives is higher than the 33 per cent seats reserved for them in the PRIs.

An official of the ministry said since January this year, two advisories have so far been issued to the state governments and union territory administrations on such complaints, requesting them to take suitable action to stop "such practice".

"States and union territories have been requested to take necessary action (on the complaints) since Panchayat is the state subject," he said.

In an advisory issued in February, ministry said it was the responsibility of the panchayat officer or panchayat secretary to ensure that relatives of the elected women representatives are not allowed to attend panchayat meeting by proxy.

It was also suggested by the ministry to the state governments in its February 16 advisory that defaulting officers or panchayat secretaries could be proceeded against departmentally, if they are found guilty.

Maharashtra Government, in 2007, had issued a circular directing all the PRIs in the state that lady office bearers should discharge their duty themselves and their close relatives should not interfere in their work.

"States and Union territories have also been suggested to consider taking a similar action," the official said.