Over 250 women from Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal met in Jhansi in Western Uttar Pradesh to create a platform to help women come forward in increasing numbers for a lasting change. The 73rd amendment inked in the year 1992 provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions. More than 15 years later, integration of women into the system tells a story of struggle.

For Rajni Pal, a 40-year-old head of a village panchayat from Madhogarh block of Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh, freedom found a new meaning when she was elected the village head. It was not an easy journey for her. After she joined a women’s self-help group in the late 90s, there began a journey that still continues.

“I was married off at 18 and accepted my life as a housewife At that point of time I could not imagine that I would ever become the village pradhan,” she says.

"When I first stepped out, my husband was not very happy with my decision. He would fight with me every day. I had to face challenges both within the family and society. But that did not stop me. Today it’s a changed story and my husband also understands the importance of the work that I do," Rajni says with a glint in her eyes. With a reservation of 33 per cent assured for women, women can now claim their right to represent. Bihar is the only state that has raised the reservation for women in panchayats to 50 per cent.

For Mamta, a 27-year-old dalit woman pradhan from a village in Fulwari Sharif, Bihar, the provision proved a boon. As a woman who came from a dalit community it was a struggle both against caste and male domination.

“This is a dream come true. Even when I was elected as the Pradhan, other panchayat members refused to accept me in that position. I was not even allowed to speak, let alone participate in decision-making. But I went up to the district-level officers seeking their help and that helped,” she says. 

Increased participation of women in panchayats ensures better representation of women’s concerns and reduces the corruption in the system. The positive role of women was stamped further by the Commissioner of Jhansi division, Ramesh Chandra Tripathi, who said:

“The rate of corruption has substantially declined in panchayats headed by women. Also development initiatives like hand-pump installation and other schemes are making rapid headway,” Tripathi said.

As heads of village Panchayats both Rajni and Mamta have ensured that women are well represented in schemes including rural employment and pension schemes for widowed women and women with disability.

Yet another example is Sunita Devi, Pradhan from a village in Fulwari Sharif. When elected she not only ensured proper functioning of the free meal scheme in schools (mid-day meal scheme), ICDS (integrated child development scheme, which provides nutritional support to lactating women and children) but also conducted a public scrutiny of village panchayat accounts.

Continued efforts by women representatives and voluntary organisations have contributed to women becoming more aware of their political role. Women are increasingly getting involved in decision-making. “The national conference is an attempt to bring together women panchayat representatives from different parts of the country to give them a common platform to take forward their roles in governance in a more effective manner by sharing their respective experiences,” said Sanjay Singh of Parmarth, a local partner organisation of ActionAid.

Pointing to the challenges that women face, Saraswati Devi, a village pradhan from West Bengal says, “Most of the women in villages are illiterate. That is the biggest hurdle for us in active participation even as village head. We need to collectively enhance our capacities to come up to the mark.”

Reservation for women in panchayats is a progressive move; challenges emerge when women are elected as ‘proxy’ pradhans and men continue to influence the decisions from the backseat. As the next step, a pre-election awareness campaign for women contesting panchayat elections will aim to acquaint them with the panchayati raj institutions, roles and responsibilities and managing funds.

“While it is important to promote representation of women in panchayats it is equally important that women understand their role and are able meet the challenges in their day-to-day functioning in the affairs of local governance,” says Baishali Chatterjee of ActionAid. This is the beginning of a change about to blossom.