Panchayat - Geography and You

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A De v e l op m e n t A n D e n v i ron m e n t m Ag A z i n e

Panchayat■ Women panchayat leaders and micro finance

■ networking women in panchayat ■ a tale of two women

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GeoGraphy and you January - February 2014 1

WOMEN IN PANCHAYAT

4 Milestones of the panchayat through central schemes

8 Mahila gram sabha - the Mewat experienceSaurabh Srivastava and Anjali Makhija

14 Networking women in panchayatG Uma

24 Women panchayat leaders and micro financeNirmala Buch

28 A tale of two womenFirst report: G’nY survey

36 Engendering local governance Mukta Banerjee

40 Women prepared to leadBidyut Mohanty

46 Enabling women through collectives Best Practices Foundation

52 EWRs - The story of Maharashtra56 Are panchayati raj institutions

gender responsive?Ravi K Verma and Nandita Bhatla

60 Emerging dimensions ofgrass root women leaders

GrEENING INdIA

62 Greening urban India through its buildings

67 Green rating system for schools

Women on their way to engage in shramdaan at the waterworks site at Selep, 7 km uphill from the main city, Gangtok 2013.

GeoGraphy and youVol. 14 Issue 82 January - February 2014

In BrIef2 Editor’s note 3 Letters 13 Success story: Changing mindsets 21 Success story: Building infrastructure for women 22 New Scheme: Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan 39 SHG leads by example 51 Term power 55 Term power rating

18 In conversatIon“Challenges persist, but women leaders will impact rural society,”

—v Kishore chandra Deo, the Minister of Panchayati Raj and Tribal Affairs.

2 January - February 2014 GeoGraphy and you

Dear ReadersTo work on an issue dedicated to women in panchayat has been daunting to say the least—each entity is an intense area of study. The hand that writes often does not agree with the hand that wields, resulting in dichotomies. Women, of every creed and kind, young and old were propped up to fulfill the criteria of reservation as mandated by a Constitutional amendment. The idea was great— as a woman tastes success she would automatically champion the cause of her kind. Regretfully, the divide is too deep and hundreds of years of cultural bias too severe to make a substantive difference without any groundwork at the outset. A build up was necessary for the devolution of power, specifically for women. Our articles point toward what has worked at ground zero. They focus on entry point activities that are able to align women at the grass root, organise them and hear them out. The biggest equaliser seems to be education. Not only a thirst for literacy, but the all-pervasive nature of knowledge has increased its appeal in rural India. There is hardly any dispute over educating children; the quality and duration of it (usually till 5th or 6th for the girl child) is however a separate area of research. The Mahila Samakhya Programme, which aligns women to educate them, seems to have experienced success. A mahila sabha preceding a gram sabha seems to have made a perceptible change in mindsets of women and consequently men. Success rates have soared in areas where not-for-profit organisations have shown unrelenting work in the hand holding of women leaders. Not only have women leaders run for second terms, but they have also catapulted into importance—in the village as well as in governmental circles, grasping every scheme that came their way for the betterment of fellow citizens.

Opposed to this, is a small section on green buildings—another sector that needs to be ‘believed in’ for it to succeed.

Sulagna Chattopadhyay

Editor’s Note

The sarpanch, Shabnam Khan (extreme right), along with her mother and sisters sharing the success of solar installations in her village Bhu, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.


Letters

The Nov-Dec 2013 - After reading the ‘Private cities: a rising phenomenon’ article in G’nY Nov-Dec 2013 issue, I think there are both positives and negatives to it. On the positive, it can go on to set new and innovative methods of urban planning and governance. But at the same time, it needs to be properly monitored too, else it may become 21st century colonialism!

Devjani Bhuyan, via facebook

Write Editorial Office: Geography and You, 1584, B-1, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070, Letters may be edited for clarity and length. Include name, address and telephone. Phone 011-26122789, FaX 011-41775126, email [email protected], FaceBook http://goo.gl/eIeaH, linkeDin http://in.linkedin.com/pub/geography-and-you/5a/b32/b24 WeBsite www.geographyandyou.com.

I have read the article ‘Private cities: a rising phenomenon’ in the G’nY issue 81. Private cities, where entrepreneurs can build a whole city such as Aamby Valley, I believe are against inclusive development which would further divide the society.

arun mishra, via facebook

I read the digital version of your G’nY Nov-Dec 2013 issue on the internet. Thereafter I subscribed the print copies. It was wonderful to see a new perspective on conservation. Although I too do not believe in resettlement, but being in the business of management, I can assure you that forests are very difficult to conserve with constant environmental and anthropic pressure. In that perspective, resettlement of forest people outside the forest land may be justified.

mahaBir jha, Patna, Bihar

The G’nY issue 81 was a pleasure to read for various reasons. The urbanisation issues apart, what was really interesting was the conservation and wildlife section. I am quite sure that tourism in these areas should follow a much lower threshold level. Also depending on the wildlife, carrying capacity should be determined. Lastly, the outing should be day long, along a track, maybe a mini rail, or electric/battery driven caravan (as they do not pollute the immediate surroundings and are also soundless), with toilet facilities onboard. This way it would eliminate the

need for permits and entries, at the same time there would be only one, or one set of vehicles, inside the protected forest. Maybe it would provide a much more rewarding experience for all.

kiran mehta, New Delhi

I have recently been posted to Bettiah, Bihar. I have heard about your magazine from a friend in Chennai. I have read the digital preview that you have placed on the internet. It is very well-written and has wonderful pictures. I am sending my subscription for procuring print copies.

l. vishWas muDgal, Bettiah, Bihar

The extreme levels of Delhi’s air quality have taken the world by storm. We need to reduce the city’s 8.1 million vehicles and ease the traffic if we wish to make any impact. Carpool is one of the good methods. But for that, people need to cooperate with each other. That is however lacking in most places. I request G’nY to carry some features related to air pollution in India.gokulaPriyan rajan, via facebook

Today, I was browsing through your website and was pleasantly surprised to find that you have started an online environmental newspaper at www.geographyandyou.com. It has some very important information about the state of environment. Prantik sarkar, Burdwan, West Bengal

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Conservation sans People

Conservation : for the rich, by the richThe lost villages of

RanthamboreThe CFL conundrum

Periurban IndiaPrivate cities

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Women In Panchayat

In a meeting with forest officials, Village Kathuli, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan


The 73rd Amendment Act of 1992 provided constitutional status to the panchayati raj institutions, formalised with a three tier

pyramidal structure.

Milestones of the panchayat through

central schemes

The panchayat (Hindi: an assembly of five village elders) is a traditional sys-tem of local governance in the Indian sub-continent. M K Gandhi brought the system into mainstream govern-

ance by advocating ‘panchayati raj’ (Hindi: rule of village assembly), as a decentralised federation where each village is responsible for its affairs. The recommendations of the Balwantrai Mehta Com-mittee (1957) laid the foundation of panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) throughout the country. The 73rd Amendment Act of 1992 provided constitu-tional status to the PRI. Provisions were outlined for the devolution of power and responsibility to the panchayat both for the preparation of economic development plans and social justice, as well as for the implementation of 29 subjects listed in the 11th schedule of the Constitution. In 1996, the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) was enacted to include ‘scheduled areas’, which were not covered in the 73rd Amendment. PESA enabled the gram sabha (Hindi: general assembly consist-ing of all village members) to self-govern their

natural resources. The Gram Nayalaya Act, 2008, of the Ministry of Law and Justice was enacted for the establishment of gram nyayalayas, or village courts, for speedy and easy access to justice system in the rural areas of India. The gram nyayalaya is established generally at the headquarter of every panchayat at intermediate level, or a group of con-tiguous panchayat in a district, where there is no panchayat at the intermediate level.

The PRI has been formulated to bear a three tier pyramidal structure with the gram (village) pan-chayat occupying the lowest ranks, followed by the panchayat samiti at the block level, with the topmost rung being occupied by the zila parishad at district level. As per the study ‘Strengthening of panchayats in India: Comparing devolution across states 2012-13’ by The Indian Institute of Public Administration there are about 595 district panchayat, 6384 intermediate panchayat and 2.4 lakh village panchayat all over India. The three tiers of the PRI comprise of elected representa-tives—the village electoral body directly voting (usually in the same electoral roll) for sarpanch,

Backgrounder


panchayat samiti member and zila parishad member through secret ballot. The pradhan (panchayat samiti head) and the chairperson (zila parishad head) are selected amongst the respec-tive members based on political party affiliations that win majority. The nomenclature for the block level panchayat varies in different states—mandal praja parishad in Andhra Pradesh, taluka panchayat in Gujarat, mandal panchayat

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Women in Panchayat A state profile

of the spectrum is occupied by smaller states like Goa and Manipur. It is also interesting to note that Manipur and Himachal Pradesh have the highest percentage of women (51 per cent) in PRIs.

As per the IIPA Report, the PRIs have run through four terms of elections in most states of India. Data shows that 14 states (Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh) have conducted the panchayat elections at regular intervals. The rest are marked by irregular elections or early dissolutions.

About 2.9 million representatives stand elected to the three levels of the panchayat, out of which 42.3 per cent are women, as per the report ‘Strengthening of Panchayats in India: Comparing Devolution across States 2012-13’ by The Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA). The political will in the inclusion of women is palpable from the fact that 16 states have extended women reservation in all tiers beyond the constitutionally mandated 33 per cent to around 50 per cent. In terms of absolute numbers the graph states that Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have the largest number of women in PRIs. The other end

in Karnataka, panchayat samiti in Maharashtra etc. A gram sabha is to be constitutionally held twice a year at the village level. On 30th Novem-ber, 2012 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) directed state governments to conduct the gram sabha four times in a year and encouraged them to video record the proceedings. The MoPR has advised states to conduct the mahila sabha before the gram sabha.

Source: Strengthening of Panchayats in India: Comparing Devolution across States 2012-13’ by The Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi.


Midday Meals Programme: Ministry of Human Resource Development

It was started in an attempt to enhance enrolment, retention and attendance

while simultaneously improving nutritional levels amongst children in school. It covers primary and upper primary school children in the entire

country. The guidelines provide greater involvement of local community through the representatives of the panchayat and

gram sabha. (www.mdm.nic.in)

National Rural Health Mission (NRHM): Ministry of Health and Family WelfareIts strategies are decentralised health

planning and management, appointment of accredited social health activist (ASHA),

strengthening the public health service delivery infrastructure, particularly at

village, primary and secondary levels. Janani Suraksha Yojana (under NRHM) aims at

achieving 100 per cent institutional deliveries. (www.planningcommission.nic.in)

Backward Regions Grant Fund: Ministry of Panchayati Raj

The BRGF was designed to redress regional imbalances in

development. Under this scheme, assistance was provided to 250

selected backward districts across the country. In 2012-13, Rs 5078

crore was spent on this programme.

(www.panchayat.nic.in/brgf)

Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA): Ministry of

Panchayati RajThis centrally sponsored

scheme strengthens PRI across the country

by addressing the critical deficiencies that constrain the functioning

of a panchayat (see page 37).

Total Sanitation Campaign: Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation

Renamed the ‘Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan’ it adopts a ‘demand driven approach’ for sanitary facilities in houses, schools to

enable a cleaner environment. Availability of water facilitated by the panchayat is an important factor for sustaining

the sanitation facilities created. Wider technology options are being provided to meet the preferences and location-

specific needs. (www.tsc.gov.in)

Aajeevika - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM): Ministry of Rural

Development The Mission aims at creating effective

institutional platforms for the rural poor enabling them to increase household

income. NRLM has set out to cover 7 crore rural poor households, across 600 districts,

6000 blocks, 2.5 lakh panchayat and 6 lakh villages in India through self-managed

SHGs and federated institutions. (www.aajeevika.gov.in)

Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (Sabla): Ministry of

Women and Child DevelopmentIt has been formed by merging the KSY

and NPAG schemes has been formulated to address the multi dimensional

problems of adolescent girls (AGs). The objectives of this scheme are to enable

the self-development and empowerment of AGs, improve their nutrition and health

status, and more. (www.wcd.nic.in)

Indira Awas Yojana (IAY): Ministry of Rural Development

The objective of the IAY is to aid construction of new dwelling units and upgradation of unserviceable kutcha houses by members of SC/

STs and also non-SC/ST rural poor by extending grant-in-aid. The beneficiary needs to contact the panchayat/block

development officer/district rural development agency to procure aid

under IAY. (www.iay.nic.in)

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Ministry of Human Resource Development

It was launched for interventions for universal access and retention, bridging of gender and social category gaps in elementary education

and improving the quality of learning. Interventions are - opening new schools,

provisions for toilets and drinking water, teacher training and academic resource support,

textbooks and support for learning achievement.(mhrd.gov.in)

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

(MGNREGS): Ministry of Rural DevelopmentIt guarantees 100 days of wage

employment in one financial year to a rural household whose adult member volunteer for unskilled manual labour. The panchayat is the principal authority for planning and implementation of MGNREGA; at least 50

per cent of MGNREGA funds are to be spent by the panchayat. (www.nrega.nic.in)

Saakshar Bharat Mission (SBM): Ministry of Human Resource

DevelopmentThe SBM aims to create a literate society through teaching-learning programmes for non-literates and

neo-literates 15 years old and above. It is created to involve community PRI

and women SHGs. Each panchayat would have a Lok Shiksha Kendra manned by a male and a female

prerak. (www.pib.nic.in)

National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP): Ministry of

Drinking Water and SanitationThis programme focuses on providing

water to every household, ensures multiplicity of water sources,

sustainability in drinking water schemes and encourages water conservation. As per the 73rd

Amendment the responsibility for drinking water was devolved to PRIs.

(www.rural.nic.in)

Salient ongoing schemes that devolve power to the panchayat

Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS): Ministry of

Women and Child DevelopmentICDS is the primary programme

for development of children in the 0-6 year age group. It

provides pre-school education along with eradication of malnutrition, morbidity,

reduced learning capacity and mortality. (www.wcd.nic.in/

icds.htm)

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Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana: Ministry of Panchayati Raj

It aims at providing support to the initiatives of the states and UTs for Capacity Building and Training of the PRIs and their functionaries. As a general rule, the location specific

investments under the RGSY are to be incurred in the non-BRGF districts only. (www.

panchayat.gov.in)

2006

YEAR

Indicating the year of scheme commencement

8 January - February 2014 GeoGraphy and you8 January - February 2014 GeoGraphy and you

Women In Panchayat

GeoGraphy and you January - February 2014 9GeoGraphy and you January - February 2014 9

Mahila Gram Sabha

T h e M e w a T e x p e r i e n c e

Mahila gram sabha, Sarai, Mewat


The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act was so emphatic that it pulled women with no training or experience out of their homes, and put them in public life amidst the ruffle of politics and governance. Approximately one million women have been elected since the Act came into force. However, these women were seen as a source of status sweetening, not as pillars in governance at the local level. Factors such as patriarchal societal norms and culture, lack of education and aware-ness, restricted mobility, and financial dependency inhibited elected women representatives (EWRs) from actively participating in the affairs of the panchayat and gram sabha. Male relatives, fathers, husbands, fathers-in-law or sons, were doing their work. As a consequence, they were conceived as proxy or absentee members with a new denomina-tion ‘sarpanch pati’, to depict male chairpersons, entailing them to execute the panchayat’s work. Though reservation for women in PRIs has gone up to 50 per cent in some states, Haryana, where Mewat is located, still offers 33 per cent.

Capacity building in Mewat The Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD) is working in the villages of district Mewat for more than a decade now to mainstream elected women panchayat leaders. The programme suggests that providing training and capacity building alone may not suffice; there is a need to work intensively with EWRs and simultaneously educate men about the importance of women

in governance. Mewat, with a population of over 10 lakh (Cen-

sus 2011), is the most backward district of Haryana and one of the minority concentration districts of India. It is inhabited by Meo-Muslims whose ori-gins can be traced back to the early Aryan invasion of Northern India, when they called themselves Kshatriyas. They embraced Islam during the inva-sion of the Tughlak dynasty in the 14th century, and at the same time preserved their social and cultural traits. As a result the community possesses a distinct ethno-cultural identity influenced by both Hinduism and Islam.

Reservation alone does not suffice meaningful participation of elected women representatives. This initiative needs to be complemented by providing space and opportunities for the women

leaders to discharge their duties and exercise their power. In addition, a platform is required for women to voice their needs. A mahila gram sabha is one such platform in the planning and decision making process.

Story and Photos Saurabh Srivastava and Anjali Makhija

Horizontal learning workshop, Ghagas, Mewat


Mewat performs poorly in social indicators, especially those related to women. The female literacy rate is 36.6 per cent, against a total literacy rate of 54 per cent (Census 2011). The maternal mortality rate in Mewat is 275, as compared to all India figure of 212 (Sample Registration System, Census of India). The District Level Household and Facility Survey-3 records that 85 per cent deliveries in Mewat take place at home as compared to the all India figure of 53 per cent. Mewat has only one lady medical officer in the 12 primary health centres.

The social, economic and political freedom of women is severely restricted. A substantial number of women reported that they are not al-lowed to take decisions at the household level and almost all the women reported that they are not allowed or even expected to take decisions at the village level. Men, and even women, have doubts about the leadership capabilities of women (A Godyal et. al, 2010, ‘Training needs analysis for gender equity’; IRRAD). Though women have come out to fight elections to fulfil the parameter of reservation of women in the panchayat, their status remains subservient.

Women in prIs in MewatThe position of elected representatives of three tiers along with representation of women, sched-uled caste and backward caste based on elections held in July, 2010 (Fig 1.) shows the status of reser-vation in Haryana. The picture is similar in Mewat where IRRAD trained 1203 male and 638 female panchayat members in 2010-11. The participation of women in this training programme was nearly 50 per cent less as compared to men. Moreover, a near similar per cent of elected representatives were found to be illiterate, most of them being women.

The district level training was followed by grass root work with village representatives. Initially, women panchayat members were prohibited from attending training sessions with men—husbands cited social and religious reasons for their non-participation. IRRAD started holding separate women centric training sessions. At the outset it was noted that women participation in the gram sabha was negligible and a woman sarpanch

would never convene a panchayat or gram sabha meeting. Micro planning sessions exclusively for women found better acceptance, as women felt safe and were able to express themselves freely, identify their needs and participate in the planning process. Thus the mahila gram sabha was priori-

PanchayatElected Members 64866

SC 13990Women 23761

OBC 5846per cenT of woMen

36.63

Zila parishadElected Members 374

SC 82Women 132


35.29

Panchayat samitiElected Members 2772

SC 697Women 956


34.87

Fig 1: Women in PRIs in Haryana

Source: www.harpanchayats.gov.in


tised and mahila panch or sarpanch were trained to convene and conduct these meetings. The issues were then shared in the main gram sabha and sub-sequently included in the micro-plan documents prepared for the village. Issues that arose were a need to enhance female literacy, provide access to clean water, build toilets and eradicate alcoholism, which otherwise did not find mention in the vil-lage plans.

One of the participants of mahila gram sabha, Memuna from village Khedli Khurd said, “The presence of other women motivated me to speak. I have never attended such an event before and hope that the mahila sabha is held regularly in my village.” Vimla, sarpanch of Village Sarai, added that she is today enthused with a need to make a positive difference in her village. “Earlier I used to be apprehensive about talking to government officials as I did not know how to read or write. But as I started meeting them regularly, my confidence grew. Last January (2013), the panchayat under-took a micro planning exercise here and organised a mahila gram sabha in which the entire village participated, and applications were submitted. We leveraged government funds for paved roads and street lighting in the village”.

endnoteIRRAD’s Mewat lessons point towards the effi-cacy of the mahila gram sabha in this area. The all-women meetings help women improve their communication skills, and give them confidence to express their views and opinions in public gath-erings. Once aligned, women can use this platform to collectively advocate and demand their rights. The Mewat experience however shows that in areas where women are severely marginalised, hand holding by an external group, which may be an NGO or a government initiative, is imperative. With the ultimate aim to provide vigour to the movement and allow women leaders of Mewat to contribute to the planning and execution of village development plans as equal partners, IRRAD is planning to organise elected women representa-tives into collectives. This will give strength to this momentum.

The authors are Assistant Programme Leader and Group Leader, respectively, at the Institute of Rural Research and Development. [email protected]

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Leader of grit

Changing mindsets Parbati, the sarpanch of Jayanagar, hails from a poor scheduled caste family who began community work by opting to be a panchayat member in 1998. Parbati carries a torch for education and has an inclination to favour all schemes related to the betterment of women and the girl child. It was because of her persevering intent that all the girl children of her village trot to school every morning. The efficacy of her campaigns is palpable as no incident of female foeticide, maternal or infant mortality has occurred in the last year during her tenure. In another feat, the panchayat has accomplished hundred per cent coverage under the Janani Suraksha Yojana. As a leader of exceptional vision, she initiated the remarriage of 18 widows with financial support from the panchayat. Parbati has been successful in involving women in gram sabha meetings and has carried out 116 projects under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at a total cost of over Rs 93 lakh. Apart from all other civil works undertaken, she has ensured access to piped water in the village, reducing the drudgery of women and lending them privacy. Parbati’s work would however not have fructified without the long-term support from Lok Kalyan Parishad, a civil society organisation working towards capacity building among women. Source: Twentieth Women’s Political Empowerment Day Celebrations, 22-23 April 2013, Institute of Social Sciences.

Parbati, sarpanch (extreme right), village Jayanagar, Purba Medinipur District, West Bengal.


NetworkiNg

Women In Panchayat

G Uma

a powerful support structure through a women leaders’ network, to build an alliance, conscientize leader groups towards women-centric issues and orient the elected women representatives to the methods of tackling problems is imperative.

womeN iN


the women leaders of Isapur Sarki, amroha district, Uttar Pradesh, espouse a need for

network assistance to access other women leaders of their block and district.


India has been constitutionally provided an opportunity to create a critical mass of women in politics, who are expected to pro-duce far reaching implications in the fabric of rural areas—exercising their power to

bring gender justice in their constituency. Elected women representatives (EWRs) are

triply burdened with low levels of education, lack of professional experience and low income. In ad-dition, there is limited training, lack of female role models and mentors, and violence against women (G Palanithurai et. al, 2009, ‘Networking of elected women representatives at grassroots’, Concept). The study of the 2006 Bihar panchayat elections, undertaken by the international development organisation The Hunger Project, clearly showed the prevalence of gender based violence in the State. A case in point is Ponnikailasam, the former President of the Anaikuppam Panchayat and former president of Panchayat Leader’s Federation in Tamil Nadu, who cites instances where women felt intimidated during gram sabha meetings alongside men—the discomfort evident. Moreo-ver, domination of party politics and interference of male family members are common in local body institutions. Minnalkodi from Adhanur Panchayat reported that the men in her family take decisions and impose them on her; she in unable to find the courage to change the situation. Things take an ugly turn in certain instances, an example being Menaka, President of Oorapakkam Panchayat, and Leelavathy, Ward Councilor, Madurai Corpo-ration who were killed by people opposed to their work on water related issues.

Capacity building is the first step in empower-ing women. For instance, the Rajiv Gandhi Chair for Panchayati Raj Studies in Gandhigram Rural University (GRU) provided capacity building programmes for EWRs in local bodies between the years 1996 and 2001 and then again from 2001 to 2006 with the support of the Tamil Nadu gov-ernment and The Hunger Project. It reached 1245 women presidents of the panchayat in 13 districts of the State. Professor Palanithurai, Gandhigram Rural Institute, cites in his reports that post capac-ity enhancement programmes, women leaders need a networked space where they can share their experiences and learn mutually. Capacity and ca-

pability, he believes, cannot be built overnight—it is a slow and continuous process that is perfected by allowing her to practice what she has learnt.

It is thus imperative to create a powerful sup-port structure through a women leaders’ network, to build an alliance, conscientize leader groups towards women-centric issues and orient them to the methods of tackling problems.

The Tamil nadu initiationThe elected representatives of local body leaders (men and women) of Virudhunagar District, Tamil Nadu formed an elected representative’s association immediately after the first local body elections in the year 1996 in accordance with the 73rd Amendment Act and the subsequent Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act. Soon after, in 1997, the Federation of Elected Women Representatives (FEWR) was set up with the participation of 200 panchayat women presidents in Tamil Nadu; FEWR was facilitated by GRU, Human Rights Foundation (HRF), NGOs such as EKTA, SNEHA and more. The FEWR is a part of the Association of Local Governance of India (ALGI, New Delhi); thus by default the president of FEWR becomes the state organiser of Tamil Nadu for ALGI.

The need for a separate association arose from recurring incidents where the women leaders were unable to articulate their needs before their male counterparts and officers implementing various governmental schemes. Capacity building exer-cises and regular association meetings through the Federation helped women panchayat leaders to concentrate on social issues such as retrieving common property resources and ensuring entitle-ments of the poor through the public distribution system. Women leaders from the Federation in Tamil Nadu met leaders from different political parties to suggest policy changes to ensure rotation of panchayat seats once every 10 years instead of five. Regular participation in the network meeting provided awareness on gender issues and opened their eyes to several new ideas.

Although networks such as these proved useful, it was the question of sustainability that needed to be addressed. This initial experiment of networked women leaders (1996- 2006) ceased to function after the 2006 local body election, when only 30


women leaders were re-elected to the Tamil Nadu panchayat, after the seats were de-reserved by rotation. Though women were elected to the one-third reserved seats after rotation, most of them were new to the system.

Following the footsteps of the women leaders of Tamil Nadu, other states (Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh) formed the women lead-ers’ network in 2000, facilitated by the civil society organisations like Sakhi-Kerala, Sin-gamma Sreevasan Foundation-Karnataka and Loksatta-Andhra Pradesh.

The Karnataka modelThose involved in the association initially invited only development practitioners, feminists, researchers and academicians to their meetings. The experience was funded by the government and international agencies. Once the project period ended, the facilitating agency withdrew support to the network in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The FEWR state level federation in Karnataka, SUGRAMA, cre-ated their own website (sugrama.org). M Renuka, ward member of the Namagondlu Panchayat of Chikkaballapur District, currently serves as its President. SUGRAMA is the only federation of EWRs in India which has a membership of more than 2000 elected women members. Initially, tribal woman were scared to file sexual harassment cases against upper caste men. After the persistent efforts of women leaders under Karnataka FEWR, offenders were caught and fined. According to the women leaders the network helped them to not only recognise gender issues but also assisted them in collating experiences and sharing col-

lective support. The Karnataka experience was a transformation platform for many women leaders who became more articulate in public meetings, fearlessly addressed seniors, and learnt soft skills such as negotiation.

ChallengesIn Tamil Nadu, where the network was first formed, it focused only on EWRs. After the term ended, EWRs slowly withdrew from the public space. The members belonged to different ideologies and pulled in different ways, leading to the collapse of the Federation. But the network did help them realise that even if they did not contest elections, they could actively work for the community. The Karnataka experience, however took the proc-ess a step further. It helped realise that resolving ideological differences among network members hailing from diverse social background and having different agendas is an important part of network creation. The latest experiment to network women leaders, which was initiated by The Hunger Project in Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu in 2012 and 2013 respectively, is trying to bring broad based alliance by involving ward members of the panchayat. The greatest challenge is working out smaller networks and integrating these mini-groups to form a broader network. It is also necessary to put in place inter-state networks for interfacing and mutual learning. But most importantly, hand-holding of women leaders must be supported on a long-term basis by organisations and institutions which are working for the empowerment of women.

The author is Assistant Professor, School of Gender and De-velopment Studies, IGNOU, New Delhi. [email protected]

Federation helped women panchayat leaders network and bring social issues

such as retrieving common property resources and ensuring entitlements oF

the poor to light.


Do you think inducting a large number of women as leaders in the panchayat would make a substantive difference to rural India? Are you aware that women remain leaders on paper in the majority of cases and decisions are taken by the men?You see, one third seats and offices of chairpersons in the panchayat are reserved for women. Today, women members in the panchayat constitute 42.3 per cent of the total elected representatives! In fact, fifteen states have already passed a legislation reserving at least 50 per cent seats for women. I am positive that the presence of women in such large numbers will have a deep and lasting impact on our rural society.

It is true that challenges persist—less education, less experience, social constraints, family pressure and more. But, women panchayat leaders have performed and achieved. I have personally interacted with so many women leaders on my recent visit to nine states and seen numerous cases where women leaders have been decisive and effective. Did you know that many elected women representatives assert that even if seats are de-reserved in rotation, they would still contest for the post of sarpanch? From my experience I find women more likely to take up issues related to water, sanitation, health and education of children. I know that supporting women leaders would bring about a change that

right now would perhaps seem utopian to you. Well, it doesn’t seem too much now, but change is palpable to politicians such as us, who are in constant communication with the grass root in their constituencies.

In your recent visit to rural areas of nine states what were your impressions about women in panchayat?I saw that a sizeable proportion—I am told that in percentage terms it would work out to about 94—of women are raising issues of domestic violence and child marriage apart from other things during panchayat meetings. Elected representatives walked up to me and reported that the attendance of women in the gram sabha has increased. Elected women representatives’ efforts to encourage girl’s school enrolment are also significant. More importantly, they have become role models for the village sisterhood. We are also promoting the mahila sabha, and are ensuring that issues raised in the mahila sabha should be subsequently raised in the gram sabha. It was heartwarming to see that elected women representatives of panchayati raj institutions assert their identity as capable and motivated leaders, notwithstanding the challenges of caste, class, patriarchy and power.

Challenges persist, but women leaderswill impactrural societyV Kishore Chandra Deo, the Minister of Panchayati Raj and Tribal Affairs, lighted up a gloomy

January morning with his cheerful and warm disposition as he chatted with Sulagna Chattopadhyay,

editor G’nY, about the changing roles of women in panchayat. While outlining the positive effects that

programmes and schemes of the Ministry have had on empowering women in rural areas, he indicated the

need to strengthen the entire system.


Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA) to various parameters. But, I must add here that it is important to systematically build the capacity of the panchayat to formulate plans and ensure delivery. And, decentralised governance entails making the panchayat more accountable through social audit, voluntary disclosure before gram sabha and regular conduct of gram sabha. The extent to which states support such accountability will be part of the performance linked to funding under RGPSA.

The gram sabha should be convened at least twice a year, but it isn’t. Also recording of proceedings would bring in transparency. Please comment.When I took charge of the ministry two years ago, we issued a circular saying that the gram sabha should be conducted at least four times in a year. We issued written directives to the states that the gram sabha proceedings should be video recorded. In fact if I have my way I would like to convene 14 gram sabha in a year —why two. Also, every gram sabha should be preceded by the mahila sabha. Whatever resolution is passed by the mahila sabha should be taken up by the gram sabha. This has begun in some states—I have seen it being done in my constituency, Araku, Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka and Odisha have also begun recording meetings. You must understand that we can issue policy guidelines, but it is the responsibility of the states to implement them.

What is your vision of panchayat in the next 20 years, since villages still lack basic infrastructure viz. motorable roads connecting to a city, electricity, safe drinking water, warehouses etc.?It is obvious that good governance and expenditure on developmental and social welfare programmes needs to fall in place with an effective panchayat. The panchayat must ensure that the benefits of governmental programmes reach the people. I have overseen the launching of the centrally sponsored scheme of RGPSA in March 2013 with great pride. It is my understanding from years of working at the grass root that this programme is bound to strengthen and empower the panchayat. We have observed a significant increase in the outlay for the Twelfth Five Year Plan for this MoPR and I expect that the funds will be progressively increased during the subsequent plan periods. I am confident that with all these initiatives the capacity of the panchayat will be enhanced and its role in governance and socio-economic development will become more important. This will surely improve rural governance.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj and UN Women have partnered to implement capacity building programmes for women. What do you think was the prime achievement?The programme enabled us to make inroads into states where foeticide is high. I have visited some of these places. When such issues are raised in the gram sabha, which is the most effective body, they percolate into the minds of the people, especially the women. The area where khap diktats are followed was our first target under the UN Women programme. There was a positive response to our efforts, which was reflected in the significant improvement in the gender ratio (at birth) within two to three years.

In areas where tribal councils work at village levels what role do you envisage for women leaders, knowing that these societies are largely matriarchal?Tribes are oriented towards natural resources. You will find women here have more authority, respect, and have a forceful role to play as compared to women in sedentary farming societies. Under the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act (PESA), enacted by the government in 1996 to cover ‘scheduled areas’, the gram sabha has been given a special role to self-govern its resources. Thus all women leaders can take up issues related to forest rights in these areas.

Do you think decentralised governance needs to be upgraded?Strengthening of panchayat is the key—it is imperative to enhance the devolution of powers and funds to the grass root. Being a federation, the power to make amendments lies with the state governments. But only Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra have devolved significant powers to the panchayat. We have linked 20 per cent funds under the

It is true that women are less educated, less experienced, socially constrained —but, women panchayat leaders have performed and achieved.


Building infrastructure for women Nayana, sarpanch of Maluagoda, was elected for two consecutive terms. With an appetite for developmental work for women, Nayana was instrumental in setting up a school for girls in her village—her dream project being total girl child education. Her stories of struggle in setting up a residential school for girls are legendary, and today the school has enrolled more than 150 girls. As a responsible and passionate leader, she oversees the functioning of the school and monitors its day to day activities. Nayana bears zero tolerance for alcoholism and with the support of women in the panchayat she launched a successful anti-liquor campaign. In an interesting initiative, she used the fines collected from drunk and violent men to build toilets. Apart from the various civil works undertaken by her, Nayana works relentlessly towards preventing atrocities against women by lending the victims a collective voice, organising women’s meetings and forming entrepreneurial self-help groups (SHGs). It is to her credit that today there are 15 women’s SHGs with over 200 members. She has led women towards improvement in household economy, better livelihoods, greater dignity, and has been instrumental in facilitating loans for goat/sheep rearing and vegetable cultivation. Nayana credits her ten years of effort to the unflinching support of Piper, an NGO that works to enhance the capabilities of panchayat leaders. Source: Twentieth Women’s Political Empowerment Day Celebrations, 22-23 April 2013, Institute of Social Sciences.

Leader of grit

Nayana (in red), sarpanch of village Maluagoda, Baruan Gram Panchayat, Bhuban block, Dhenkenal district , Odisha


Women In Panchayat

Panchayat Sashaktikaran AbhiyanThe centrally sponsored scheme launched in

March 2013 to strengthen the panchayati raj

system across the country addresses critical gaps

that constrain it. It aims to break the cycle of low

capacity and lack of devolution, which lead to dis-

empowerment of the panchayat in several states,

by a strong multi-pronged intervention.

The Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktika-ran Abhiyan (RGPSA) aims to enhance the capacities and effectiveness of the panchayat and gram sabha. It will enable

democratic decision-making, enhance account-ability and promote people’s participation apart from strengthening the institutional structure for knowledge creation in the panchayat. The scheme promotes devolution, aims to strengthen the gram sabha in Panchayat (Extension to Sched-uled Areas) Act (PESA) areas, while creating and strengthening democratic local self-government in areas where the panchayat does not exist. It aims to strengthen the framework on which the panchayat is founded. So far, the Central Executive Committee (CEC) has approved activities related to technical and administrative support; construc-tion and repair of panchayat buildings; capacity

building and training; institutional structure at state/district and block level; and e-enablement of the panchayat. The cost sharing between the Centre and state is 75:25 in most states except the north-eastern states, where it is 90:10. As far as the disbursement is concerned, of the Rs. 655 crore available for RGPSA in 2013-2014, 483 crore has been distributed. During 2013-14, roadmaps by 21 states have been approved. Plans of another 5 states are under consideration.

The states need to comply with certain essential conditions to avail funds. These are—regular elec-tions to the panchayat or local bodies under the superintendence and control of the state election commission (SEC), at least one third reservation for women in the panchayat system or other local bodies, constitution of the state finance commis-sion (SFC) every five years, presentation of the


Gram sabha being held at Village Harkot, Uttarakhand in 2012.

action taken report in the state legislature on the recommendations of the SFC, constitution of dis-trict planning committees (DPC) in all districts, and issuance of guidelines/rules to make DPCs functional.

In a new and innovative move, 20 per cent RGPSA funds will be linked to performance, which will be assessed regularly from 2014-15. The performance will be judged by parameters such as articulating an appropriate policy framework for providing administrative and technical support to the panchayat; strengthening the financial base of the panchayat by assigning appropriate taxes, fees, etc.; provision of untied funds to the panchayat and timely release of SFC and Central Finance Commission (CFC) grants; ensuring devolution of funds, functions and functionaries; preparing and operationalising a framework for bottom-up

grass root planning and convergence through the DPCs; promoting the mahila sabha and more.

The RGPSA provides funds for building the capacities of the panchayat. Activities like recruit-ment of administrative and technical support at the panchayat level; capacity building and training for elected representatives and panchayat func-tionaries; strengthening of institutional structure for training, including setting up state panchayat resource centres and district panchayat resource centres; e-enablement including provision of computers to the village level functionaries and training; funding of panchayat processes such as gram sabha meetings, planning etc. for panchayat with weak resource base etc. can be carried out.

Inputs from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India.


Women leaders in the panchayat need to collectively work to increase access to micro finance. A united forum with representatives of self help groups can develop livelihood and micro credit plans and seek the support of banks for funds.

Women in Panchayat

Sunita Bai Uike, a thrice elected tribal sarpanch of Panchayat adarsh Pipariya of Betul district, madhya Pradesh.


Micro Finance

Story and photo Nirmala Buch

Women Panchayat

Leaders and


The reservation of not less than one third in the panchayat structure including positions reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (SC/ST), was constitution-ally mandated for women in all

parts of the country. This provided the potential for women leadership across the caste-class barriers.

The beginning of 21st century has seen states enhancing reservation to 50 per cent—with fifteen states, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar (first to do so), Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharash-tra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal offering this larger platform. At present India has about 1.36 million women mem-bers in the panchayat who constitute 42.3 per cent of the total elected representatives (Strengthening of panchayats in India: Comparing devolution across states, 2012-13; The Indian Institute of Public Administration).

While the political entry of women was evolving in the panchayat and urban local bodies, another development was taking place partly with the ef-fort of government, but mostly with the initiative of civil society groups. Self-help groups (SHGs) comprising of women from the socio economically weaker sections were being formed and nurtured mainly in rural areas that gave them an opportu-nity to save and access micro credit options. The government programmes of poverty alleviation contributed further to this process. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NAB-ARD) added their SHG-bank linkage programme in 1992, which is a major part of the micro-finance market outreach today with 56.6 million clients out of a total of 83.4 million benefitting from this programme (Microfinance India: State of the sec-tor report, 2012, ACCESS development services). The anti-poverty strategy also included a major programme of self-employment with support of bank credit and subsidy. The focus on women in the first self-employment programme of the In-tegrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) of 1980 was further strengthened by a separate sub-programme of Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA). This was later restructured in 1999 as Swarnajayanti Gram

Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) to cover all aspects of self-employment of the rural poor; to be a holistic programme for micro enterprises development; and, to organise rural poor into SHGs. The role of the panchayat in these programmes was to identify below poverty line (BPL) beneficiaries to make them eligible for bank credit and government subsidy for their micro enterprises in primary, secondary and tertiary sectors.

The programme has now been re-structured and re-designed as Aajeevika - National Rural Liveli-hood Mission (NRLM) launched in June 2011, aiming to create an effective institutional platform for rural poor to enable them to increase house-hold income through livelihood enhancement and improved access to financial services. This programme seeks to cover 7 crore rural house-holds, 600 districts, 6000 blocks, 2.5 lakh gram panchayat and 6 lakh villages in the country through self-managed SHGs and federated insti-tutions. The programme is substantially focused on women collectives.

The involvement of the panchayat in the above process is however minimal, limited to only selec-tion of BPL beneficiaries. The remaining process of SHG formation, access to bank credit and tak-ing up economic activities is done by government functionaries. The NRLM approach structures a mutually beneficial working relationship between the panchayat and BPL SHGs, but it cautions that autonomy of such SHGs is not to be compromised. The panchayat is to be actively involved in iden-tification and mobilisation of BPL households in affinity based SHGs, facilitating federations of SHGs and providing basic facilities for their effec-tive functioning, giving priority to the demand of the SHGs in their annual plans and making suitable financial allocations and coordinating with other departments or agencies. But the NRLM does not envisage any special role for women panchayat leaders, important from a gender perspective. Also with a strong political will to support women leaders in the panchayat and their capacity build-ing on one side and the SHG movement on the other, there has been a tendency of both groups to consider their institutional structure as the most effective and their members as the most active women leaders.


When women entered the election process at the panchayat level, those who were active SHG members were natural candidates as they had vis-ibility in the local society. There is no supporting data, but entry of women members into politics was more perceptible in the southern states where SHG movement was well developed. But, it may also be noted that the women’s candidature was also affected by community and family members, who often did not want to promote articulate, active women in an effort to maintain their domi-nation. Women leaders in the panchayat and local collectives of SHGs are strong tools for women to work together. It needs to be supported as a policy not only at the national level but also at the state and sub-state levels. There are successful examples of women who made their entry in the public sphere through an SHG, such as the Kudumshree groups in Kerala, and then moved to the pancha-yat. The combination of economic empowerment of women through SHGs, both as individuals and as groups, and political and social empowerment through the institutions of local self-government can change the face of rural India.

If we look at the question of empowerment, women panchayat leaders have an important role to play in economic institutions of SHGs which work for access to micro credit. Access to resources and power to exercise a choice is critical for em-powerment. Micro finance is one such resource while women leaders are the second powerful resource that drive inclusive rural governance and access to development programmes with desired focus on gender and social justice. It is expected

that elected women in the panchayat will make a significant contribution to models of gendered governance with equity, social justice and efficient delivery of public goods and services. They are expected to enhance levels of attention to gender concerns and meet women’s practical as well as strategic needs.

Early studies of women in panchayat had fo-cused on the impact on women’s self confidence in performing their role especially in the context of comments on their namesake membership and interference of male kin. Some recent stud-ies have explored the impact of women’s entry in rural governance and in delivery of public goods and services and present a mixed picture. Thus R Chattopadhyay et. al, 2004 in their paper ‘Women as policy makers: Evidence from a randomised policy experiment in India’, published in Econo-metrica, found women leaders investing more in goods where women had expressed a preference. L Beaman et. al, 2010-11, in their paper ‘Political reservation and substantive representation: Evi-dence from Indian village councils,’ NCAER: India Policy Forum, confirmed female leaders in rural India delivered more drinking water infrastruc-ture, better sanitation and roads than their male counterparts. However women in the panchayat, as in some other institutions, continue to face constraints arising from patriarchal and institu-tional factors.

endnoteWomen leaders in the panchayat, especially at the village level, must institutionally and col-lectively work for increasing access of women to micro finance for family needs and for starting and expanding their micro enterprises. A forum of a village development committee can be set up with participation of women panchayat leaders and representatives of SHGs to develop livelihood and required micro credit plans and actively seek support of micro finance institutions and banks for funds. The committee should also work to inculcate responsible borrower practices and also help in removing constraints and difficulties.

The author is the chairperson, Mahila Chetna Manch, Bhopal. [email protected]

When women entered the election process at the panchayat level, those who were active SHG members were natural candidates as they had visibility in the local society.

28 JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2014 GEOGRAPHY AND YOU

WOMEN IN PANCHAYAT

A TALE OF TWO

WOMEN

F I R S T R E P O R T : G’nY S U R V E Y

Grass root leaders who relentlessly work towards the betterment of

their respective villages in different yet similar ways.

GEOGRAPHY AND YOU JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2014 29

Maamkori is a resident of the village Miya Khadani in Fatehbad, Haryana which comprises of 130 odd families. She has been living here for the past 58 years and has seen many positive changes in recent times.


The villagers of Miya Khadani claim zero female foeticide in the last few decades. The women leaders are aware of skewed sex-ratios in the area and attempt to educate families to desist from sex-selective abortion.


As one chats without a qualm, the others’ gaze seeks approval at every assertion. Both leaders, the firebrand

and the demure, the seasoned and the young, have had the grit to fight all odds as a grass root leader to mark achievements that will always keep them at the top in the minds of their fellow citizens. Let us introduce Asha Devi and Sushma Bhadu, resi-dents of village Phagi in Rajasthan and village Miya Khadani in Haryana, respectively, the chalk and cheese that work towards the betterment of their villages in different yet similar ways.

Miya Khadani, Salam Kheda and Chabla Mori villages in Fatehbad, Haryana comprise of 400 odd families belonging primarily to the Bishnoi commu-nity, with most living below the poverty line. When Sushma stepped into the village of Miya Khadani, where she presently resides, in all her bridal finery to find that she had to walk several miles to get a mere glassful of water, she protested. Fetching water for cooking, water for washing, water for drinking—all from different sources, was so tedious that two of her newly made friends ‘ran away’ to make a home elsewhere. It was then that Sushma began talking to women in her village about the need to make a change. Today Sushma has installed a boring with a booster pump that distributes piped water to every single habitation in her village as well as the other two under her jurisdiction. But, this is not the single most significant contribution of this affable lady. Breaking social taboos in khapland is beyond bravery; it falls in level of commando. Baying for the discarding of the veil amongst her fellow kin brought accolades and flak at the same time. Vil-lage elders even today deride her for not covering her face whist conversing with senior men. But the young believe in her and have followed unflinch-ingly, adding that “how can we speak with someone eye to eye, if we cannot see his eyes?”

The veil is symbolic of woman subjugation, where a married woman is made to cover her head and face with a garment to prevent her from meeting the eyes of any village elder or stranger. It rises from a sense of alienating the woman from her rights of assertion and freedom but is endorsed by the community as a mark of respect.

The need to ‘unveil’ rose in Sushma when, as a

sarpanch, she found the veil debilitating in her interaction with government officials. She found herself cocooned in her veil as people spoke to her asking her to see this, read that or sign there. It was then that she consulted her family and involved them in her decision. With her family on her side, she walked out confidently to engage all the other panchayat members in her decision. On 22nd July, 2012, after two years of being the sarpanch, Sushma unveiled her face in a Mahapanchayat, attended by senior residents of nearly 35 villages. Every scheme, both governmental and self-driven, that she undertook thereafter struck gold. The vil-lagers claim zero female foeticide, with families with only daughters opting for sterilization (and not waiting for a son), and every BPL girl child reportedly receiving assistance with annual educa-tion grant of Rs 5000 from the sarpanch’s office.

Asha, the daughter of a school teacher, has seen it all. She has the training and the making of a leader. But, household duties in her early days prevented her from taking on the mantle of a sarpanch, and more. As her children grew up and settled, the seasoned lady began her stint in 2000 as the ‘neta’,

Sushma, sarpanch of Miya Khadani, Salam Kheda and Chabla Mori in Fatehbad, has ensured distribution of piped water to every single habitation under her jurisdiction.


Education of the girl child is not the only priority of panchayat. Women panchayat leaders feel that seeing them in an income generating profession after completing their education is of equal importance. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MIYA KHADANI


with—as she claims—the active support of her husband, and went on to be an elected member of the zila parishad from 2003 to 2012. The villages of Madhorajpura, Gopalpura and Phagi, which are her areas of influence, have a population of 25,000. Asha’s dream project is not just education of the girl child, but seeing them in an income generating profession. The Kasturba School was established by a zila parishad resolution, which was initiated by her. She has seen to it that it functions impeccably. With hundred percent seats filled up, this residen-tial all-girls school has students who have achieved laurels in varied fields.

In an area where orphaned girls and those coming from poor families are prone to exploitation, aban-donment, abuse and ostracism, such an initiative could go a long way in ensuring a safe childhood and a bright future for girls. Asha’s unrelenting work towards ensuring the smooth functioning of the Kasturba residential school goes to show how she managed to keep her dreams alive despite minimal funding coupled with public disinterest.

Survey Findings: Identifying the GapsDespite the upside, there were several downsides that our survey revealed. Being the first women elected under the reserved seat mandated by the

government, Sushma is the only woman to wield power over the three villages. Asha climbed a step further to reach the top rungs of the panchayati raj institution (PRI). Yet, both are finding it an uphill task to align women at the grass root in a way that their voices may be heard. Asha is aware of the mahila sabha, while Sushma drew a total blank as Haryana does not yet have any statutory provision mandating it; both having been unable to organise any women group meetings. The closest anyone has got to it, is by putting together a ‘satsang’, a prayer meeting, that is primarily attended by a cer-tain caste and community. This essentially negates the cause of decentralised governance.

Issues of violence against women, alcoholism and drug abuse amongst men, and setting up of liquor shops in the vicinity were often cited by the women of the respective villages during the survey. Both the leaders talked about cases where they have personally intervened. Yet, hardly any voice has been raised publicly to condemn or curb this activity. There are in fact legalised liquor shops in Phagi, while Miya Khadani has a liquor shop in the neighbouring village which is visited by the menfolk on a daily basis. The women in both these areas are neither able to voice their concern about domestic violence nor about alcoholism in the gram sabha, which is held at least twice a year, as it is difficult for them to speak before the men. In addition, public disclosure of domestic violence is frowned upon by rural society—as it is understood to be part of the man’s exclusive jurisdiction. Asha and Sushma both find it difficult to remedy this.

Asha’s school-for-the-girl-child dream and Sushma’s young children not missing a day of school are examples of how important education is in their lives. They both work closely with educa-tional institutions – one being the co-ed school in Miya Khadani and the other being the Kasturba all girls residential school. They both show a marked improvement in enrolment and lowering in drop-out rates in case of female students. Plans are afoot to upgrade the schools to the next level – from 8th to 10th.

The anganwadi is off bounds as selection of its personnel is under the direct control of the state. The anganwadi workers, primarily women who are paid a small honorarium, were found to be recruited for more than 10 years in both the villages. As the anganwadi workers are well-informed and forthright, they could be nurtured as future leaders. Kamla, the anganwadi worker of Miya Khadani has

Asha, a zila parishad member, has the training and the making of a leader. She began her stint in 2000 as the ‘neta’ and went on to be an elected member of the zila parishad from 2003 to 2012.


Employment opportuni-ties reinforced through self help groups will empower women in rural areas to embrace leadership roles, opines the panchayat leaders of the study area.


observed a decline in the age of children as far as sexual maturity is concerned. She feels that both boys and girls should be included in adolescent health and hygiene programmes, but the anganwadi centre caters to only girls and women—the boys do not get any formal sex education. Champa of vil-lage Madhorajpura claims that they are hardly able to run any programmes due to paucity of funding. The poor state of their dark and dank anganwadi building requires urgent renovations. However, one aspect that emerged with a clear focus was that the onus of family planning was understood to be in the women’s domain—with tubectomies being undertaken in all cases. No men ever came forward in both these villages for sterilisation drives.

Apart from the leaders, respondents in the village cite lack of employment opportunities as their big-gest grouse. Asha introduced us to several self-help group beneficiaries. Mangi Devi, of Bhankrota, has been instrumental in setting up SHGs since 1997. She has conducted activities to encourage women to send the girl children to school and regularised immunisation; her latest achievement is a milk collection booth. Her motto is “gaon ka paisa gaon mein (the village’s money should remain in the village)”, thereby building a self sustainable model for replication. Anjana Kumavat, of Madhorajpura, was empowered by the SHGs being run with the help of the Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultant Society, an NGO. The presence of an NGO in Asha’s village for over two decades has made a sizeable difference in setting up SHGs, 52 in Phagi block alone, with a turnover of 1.25 lakh per annum. Each SHG comprises of 10-15 women with activities that range from developmental work to dairy. There are however, no SHGs in Miya Khadani—and the funds of the three that were established were reportedly embez-zled by the previous regime.

Endnote Asha and Sushma, the eloquent speaker and the quiet listener, belong to a socio-economic echelon that is vastly similar. The problems thus are also comparable. But the routes are different. Sushma finds it easy to take the yoke off through the social route, Asha finds education and agriculture a more acceptable path. The survey however revealed identifiable gaps—a need to enforce a mandate of mahila sabha, a need to get issues of domestic violence and alcoholism to the forefront, a need to

put in place a girl child education cum placement option, a need to promote the SHG-NGO tie up on a long term basis and more. But above all there were two other issues that call for greater sensitivity and understanding—first being the role of the husband and the other the role of political parties.

Feminism based on the premise of equal-ity among sexes has often been the basis of gender policies. At the grass root, where information is the key, women are often found lacking. Sushma barely visits the other two villages, and almost never finds time to take a round of her own village, reason being her household duties. Apart from being an innovative sarpanch, she is expected to be a good daughter-in-law, wife and mother. Unable to bear the triple burden she willingly ‘delegates’ her duties to her man, Bhagwandas. This willingness makes for a separate area of study. Both Sushma and Asha freely acknowledge the role of their husbands in shaping their destiny – and they are grateful for the ‘freedom’ that they have got. It is this perspective of the survey that points towards a separate framework or parameterization for women leaders. A national point/gradation system for a woman leader should be made mandatory to cultivate quality leaders. Criteria such as attendance in various meetings, understanding governmental schemes, having proactive ideas of governance, level of assistance from her husband, etc., may be included. Although the Indian government, along with UN agencies has many capacity building programmes for women, they rarely include the men in the discourse. Just as we seek to put women in pivotal roles, male sup-port cannot be disregarded, and needs to be put in perspective, amalgamating rather that excluding.

The most robust section of our democratic proc-ess, the political system is perhaps the prime-most reason for a well-defined decentralized system at the grass root. Although the Indian constitution envisages apolitical lineage for the PRIs, they are invariably coloured; elections are fought along party lines. The fallout of this is that PRIs are unable to churn out an independent agenda arising from the felt needs of the villages. They conform to a top-down approach that ‘tells them’ rather than ‘asks them’ what to do. Sushma treats the people of her village as her own - everyone welcomes her as we take a round, and the connect is immediate. She feels that no leader can lead if she doesn’t feel from her heart, and social work cannot be a plea for power.


Women in Panchayat

EngenderingLocal Governance

In Jaiharikhal, Uttarakhand, women report that they need support from collectives to bring issues of violence to the forefront in the gram sabha.


Dynamics of women participation in local governance has received intense

scrutiny since the Constitutional Amendment in 1992. Many emphasised on training women technically; despite

successes in creating able women leaders, violence towards women needs multi-layered investigation.

EngenderingLocal Governance

Mukta Banerjee


‘The most stringent test of any exercise in democratic decentralisation is, of course, the actual powers and func-tions that are devolved to democratic institutions at the local level. We see

that it is in only a handful of states—Kerala, Karna-taka and West Bengal, that significant or complete devolution has been achieved…. and suggest that if women are adequately empowered through a political process, they would have enhanced capabilities for decision making, which, in turn, would be reflected in the quality of participation, impacting performance as well as their personal development’ —Study on EWRs in panchayati raj institutions, 2008, Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

The study of governance focused around ‘...the manner in which power is exercised in the manage-ment of a country’s economic and social resources for development’, —World Bank 1992. However, it was obvious that citizens had no role in determin-ing the governance agenda through a democratic process (N G Jayal, 2003, Locating gender in the governance discourse, UNDP). Thus, such a defi-nition was limited in its approach, and overlooked many aspects of the concept of ‘good governance’. Good governance is no longer simply equated with service reform, but stresses on participation, decentralisation, accountability, and governmental responsiveness emphasising substantive aspects such as quality and multiplicity of actors involved in the process of governance, as important dimensions along with social equity and justice.

The 73rd Amendment Act, 1992, gave recogni-tion to local bodies as institutions of self-governance indicating that people’s participation is sine qua non for realising the goal of self governance. Sweeping changes in the rural landscape were visible as women from all communities competed to become mem-bers of executive bodies of the panchayat. Despite India having more elected women representatives (EWRs) than all other countries put together, their participation is still limited due to discrimination, lack of access to information, illiteracy, the double burden faced by women at work and at home, deeply etched inequalities, social stigmas, political barriers and limited efforts to equip elected women leaders with requisite skills (UNDP, 2009, 'Helping women lead change'). Regardless of being in power, EWRs cannot truly engender governance and fully repre-sent women’s issues without knowledge about the

panchayat planning process and resources available. The planning process itself is technical in nature, requiring in-depth comprehension of panchayat ac-tivities, conducting situational analysis, prioritising needs, creating a vision document for the panchayat, understanding the resource envelope to conduct re-source mapping for panchayat plans, projectising the wish list in the gram sabha into actual projects with budgets and sources of funds, and finally creating panchayat plans. All this requires capacity building, networking, exposures and diverse strategies and support systems in place for effective participation. Thus for women, diverse inputs along with strong social support is the need of the hour.

Increasing women’s voice in governance‘Governments would do well to recognise how the two issues are linked: violence against women acts as a structural barrier to women’s participation in politics and public life. Indeed, women are often placed at increased risk of violence the further they move into public life and politics. The relationship between the two needs to be tackled for either to make any progress’—Destined to Fail? How violence against women is undoing development, ActionAid, 2010.

The relationship between gender and governance has various dimensions, and some key concepts that need mention include the links between public-pri-vate spheres, the nature of women’s participation in national politics, the strategies developed for such participation by civil society organisations and the affirmative action played by the state in promoting a gender responsive governance structure in India.

Women’s participation in governance should be viewed in the context of how they are socialised in gendered terms, implying the importance of masculine or feminine roles wherein masculinity is associated with the public, outside space while femininity with the private, domestic realm. This dichotomy, though often transformed by women, implies that to expose oneself outside the domestic space is to risk one’s reputation as she may be faced with violence or sexual assault. Men have also made use of these norms to discourage women’s infiltra-tion in public spaces, and justify their decisions of preventing women from engaging in various types of public or social actions. The association between violence and women’s political participation is deeply rooted in patriarchal ideas due to which


women are subdued in accepting responsibilities in public offices. In most places, violence is deliberately used to target, control, penalise and silence women who are active in the public arena and politics.

Women’s participation in political processes encompasses a wide range of actions and strategies. These may include processes that entail ● occupying public spaces from private - entry into

the governing bodies such as voting and voter education and applying for candidacy;

● change from descriptive representation, to substan-tive representation - once elected, strengthen their performance through capacity building train-ing programmes for improving in governance related matters, actively raising a ‘voice’ against anti-women issues, regular attendance in meet-ings, lending support to candidates and groups who carry gender-sensitive agenda, and at times campaigning against groups who have policies that discourage women;

● personally transformative representation, and a responsive governance structure - an ability to deliver or table women’s issues in formal meetings effectively as officiating members of local govern-ance systems. All of these diverse activities are vulnerable areas

where women face different forms of targeted violence. Additionally, economic dependence can lead to various forms of violence, and its ensu-ing insecurity acts as a barrier towards active political participation.

The panchayat in Karnataka noted that many members are approached with problems of resolv-ing conflict and violence cases, but most retain gender-biased ideas about resolving it. In Uttara-khand, women have found it difficult to bring issues of violence in the panchayat agenda, despite sup-port from collectives. Panchayat Jagratha Samitis, Kerala, were formed in 2007 to address women’s issues for out-of-court settlement, thus avoiding unnecessary litigations. As more and more coun -tries move towards women’s effective political participation, mechanisms to promote women’s involvement in politics and to ensure their protec-tion from any violence are essential components for moving forward.

The author is Professor of Development Studies, Commits Institute of Mass Communication, Bangalore. [email protected]

MILK seLLLers seLF heLp group In KaLIMpong, west bengaL, surge ahead wIth new Leaders In the MaKIng

The children of Dr Graham’s school in Kalimpong, are treated with fresh milk every morning and evening. In

the morning, a portion of this fresh supply is provided by seven ladies who belong to a self-help group (SHG), which has been successfully working here for several years. The ladies began the SHG as part of the State’s drive to establish small women-led entrepreneurship. They bagged a loan to buy seven cows initially, which later multiplied to over 20 with better earnings. As they do not have the resources to build a dairy, they keep the cows in separate homes and also share a part of the proceeds with the caretaker of the animal. The School is the largest client in the area.

ShG Leads by example


With a progressive legislation set in place in 1992, women’s participation in the panchayat has increased considerably. Every five years a little more than one million women get elected while another three million women become aware of the panchayat process. This will help women emerge as able decision makers in totality.

Women In Panchayat


Women prepared

to LeadBidyut Mohanty


The panchayat, traditionally domi-nated by five influential male elders of the village, worked together to settle social disputes. Women had no role in this exercise. As the revival

of the panchayati raj system gained popular-ity during India’s freedom struggle, so did the need for providing women a platform to share their thoughts. The recommendation came post Independence through the Balwantrai G Mehta Committee 1957, which provided a cooption of two women members.

The ‘Towards equality: Report of the commit-tee on the status of women in India,’ chaired by P Guha, 1974, Ministry of Education and Social Welfare, evaluating the social and economic conditions of Indian women, presented a bleak picture—low literacy, low work participation, high maternal mortality rate etc.; but the Com-mittee did not recommend seat reservation in the political sphere—they perhaps believed that women would come up as able leaders on their own. However, the Committee did recommend an all women panchayat to look after the welfare ac-tivities of women. On the other hand, the National perspective plan for women, 1988-2000; Report of the core group set up by Department of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Human Re-source Development; recommended 30 per cent reservation of women at the panchayat level. It was not taken up till 1987, when the Karnataka Pan-chayat Act reserved 25 per cent seats for women at the zila parishad level. Finally the historic 73rd Constitution Amendment Act of 1992 was passed.

Two decades and four terms of panchayat elec-tions later, there is a rising level of awareness among eight million women about India’s political proc-ess (considering that four terms has seen nearly 4-5 million women in panchayat, and an equal number who have contested and lost); the unique experiment has generated social mobilisation of an unprecedented scale. One would presume that social needs at the village level would be fulfilled with such a large number of women in the public domain. Yet, India maps significant maternal and infant mortality rates; malnutrition; lack of safe drinking water; and so on. A number of contradic-tions continue to exist despite a million plus women grass root leaders and a number of women self help groups (SHGs) operating at the village level. It is

still a fact that women and girls have dismal access to basic services linked to survival. For example, the child sex ratio in the age group of 0-6 at the all-India level has come down from 927 to 914 between 2001 and 2011(Census 2011). At least 46 per cent children below age three are malnourished (www.unicef.org/india) in spite of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and mid day meal programmes run by the government. But, certain circumstances help elected women representatives (EWRs) to perform exempla-rily—and it is the purpose of the essay to examine such scenarios.

Structure and conStraintSThere are about 532 district panchayat, 5912 block panchayat and 2.3 lakh village panchayat all over India. There are three million elected representa-tives in all, of which 660,000 are from the SC and ST communities (Mathew George, ed., 2013, Status of panchayati raj in the states and union territories of India, Institute of Social Sciences, Concept). It is interesting to note that women are heading 175 district panchayat, 1970 block panchayat, and more than 77,000 village panchayat all over India (ibid.).

The panchayat has been assigned the task of preparing developmental plans on agriculture, food security, sanitation, safe drinking water etc., and implementing schemes. As the panchayat has limited resource raising powers they depend on financial support extended by the central and state governments. Of the funds assigned to the pan-chayat under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) Rs 290 million were utilised since 2006 to pay labour alone (Annual Report, 2012-13, Ministry of Rural Development). But, apart from identifying the beneficiaries entitled for a job card, the panchayat should also decide the kind of work and location under the MGNREGS. As of now it is the pre-rogative of the department officials. Similarly for sanitation, safe drinking water, food distribution, agriculture etc., the panchayat should be allowed to take an active role. Apart from construction of roads, identifying beneficiaries of Indira Awaas Yojana and getting doles for pregnant women through ASHA, precious little has percolated to ground zero.

Moreover, the funds allocated are tied to par-


ticular schemes leaving little flexibility to the panchayat to exercise discretion. This disregards the felt needs of the area, pushing a ‘one size fits all’ approach in decentralised development. Of course, there are state level variations. For exam-ple, Kerala has given 40 per cent of the total budget money to the panchayat or nagar palika to spend as per their need.

proFilinG elected womenThe ‘Report of a survey on National Rural Health Mission and panchayats’, 2013, by the Institute of Social Science (ISS), published in Mainstream, studied selected elected women representatives in 20 states and revealed that 55 per cent of the EWRs were in the age-group of 25-49 and nine per cent were below 20 years of age. In terms of the occupational break-up, 41 per cent of the women replied that they were householders, fol-lowed by agriculture with 27 per cent and labour with 14 per cent. As for the duration of their lead-ership—82 per cent were first-timers who were propped up by the family, community or political party to contest, while 13 per cent constituted the second-termers.

It was a heartening revelation that some of the women who contested the first election were also contesting subsequent panchayat elections. They were in fact found to be campaigning with the help of women groups in the area. The elected women representatives in panchayat constituted of 14.3 per cent SC and 8 per cent ST candidates (Mathew George, 2013).

Caste, class, ethnicity and patriarchy keep most women leaders shackled. Women are rarely al-lowed to take decisions without being titular fronts for influential men. Most first time women leaders, supported by male de-facto heads, have little role to play in the panchayat, which is fur-ther complicated by their low literacy levels. It is obvious that such members, particularly at the panchayat level were unable to prepare develop-mental plans. Women leaders are further alienated from the process, as gram sabha meetings are largely unattended by them. The end result is low level of knowledge related to governmental schemes and thus low distribution of benefits to stakeholders. It was seen from various micro-studies that where NGO support, active women’s collectives, well-directioned political will, as well

as family support are provided, women have emerged as able leaders.

NGO supported representativesIt is interesting to note that after intensive train-ing, the perception of self-worth changed among women leaders. Illustrations from various studies conducted by the ISS, ranged from bathing steps being constructed for facilitating use of ponds by women to women participating in the palli or ward sabha in the hope of getting widow pension and old age pension (Rayagada, Odisha), and more. Further, the awardees of women’s political empow-erment day celebrations being organised by the ISS and held in April every year since 1994, showed that successful elected women representatives working with NGOs take up social issues such as domestic violence, promotion of the status of the girl child,

Successful elected women representatives take up social

issues such as domestic violence, promotion of the status of the girl

child, widow remarriage etc., very vocally.

widow remarriage etc., very vocally. A Jafri et. al2006, in their paper ‘Gender mainstreaming in district plans in Madhya Padesh, have mapped similar results through their NGO, Samavesh, in the district of Dewas.

Women’s collectiveISS has also evaluated the activities of a UNDP project ‘From reservation to participation: Capac-ity building of elected women representatives and functionaries of panchayati raj institutions’, 2003-2008, which marked an active role of women in the gram sabha as well as panchayat after being a part of women’s collectives. The project covered one district and two blocks in each of the ten states taken up. Women panchayat members, backed by SHGs, voiced women’s concerns confidently in the gram sabha meetings, working as an advocacy


Grass root women leaders have a low level of knowledge related to governmental schemes and thus record low distribution of benefits to stakeholders.

VILLAGE NAME, KArNAtAKA


group to implement drinking water facilities on a priority basis, ensuring uninterrupted power supply in the panchayat, spending the panchayat’s revenue in improving the drainage system, supply of electricity, encouraging women to avail the facilities of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) etc. Thus, when backed by women’s groups, women pan-chayat members become effective leaders, cutting across all caste and class barriers. A similar finding was recorded by J Devika in a 2007 study ‘Between empowerment and liberation: the Kudumshree initiative in Kerala’, published in the Indian Journal of Gender Studies. She noticed that the women in the programme not only formed women’s collec-tive, but contested for elections at the panchayat level; many were engaged in activities such as leasing land for ensuring livelihood and work-ing for reforestation etc., through the panchayat. They were also appointed as social auditors in case of MGNREGS.

Political willMGNREGS has reserved 33 per cent of the total work load for women since 2005. As a result, the percentage of women workers in the southern states is more than 60 per cent (Ashok Pankaj, ed., 2012, ‘Right to work and rural India: Working of the mahatma gandhi national rural employ-ment guarantee scheme, Sage). A 2008 study by L Beaman et. al, titled ‘Women politicians, gender bias and policy making in rural India,’ attempted to find out whether women in panchayat were really making a difference. The authors analysed data collected on the basis of reservation status of 1995-2000 for 11 major states. They concluded that villages with women leaders have more public goods, villagers are less likely to pay bribes, and there is an improvement in attendance of girl students. Villages with women sarpanch do better on two dimensions – drinking water and immunisation. Higher investment in clean drinking water could potentially lead to large improvements in children’s health (ibid.). The authors observed that women sarpanch in West Bengal invest more in the development priorities of women and children and pre-school children in Rajasthan are more likely to be immunised and attend government day care centres in villages. As per the authors’ findings, the presence of a female pradhan makes women more likely to participate in discussions during the general assemblies.

Also, relative to male pradhans, female leaders were found to be more responsive to the concerns raised by female villagers; and more women were found to be attending the gram sabha meetings wherever women happened to be the head, the authors reiterated.

end noteWomen reservation in the panchayat was pro-vided constitutionally with a view that it would create an enabling situation whereby women leaders would become decision makers. This policy is in the process of creating social mobilisa-tion by bringing more than a million women into the public forum. However, women are unable to reach the pinnacle of success due to their socio- economic conditions; semi-literate status; and male domination within their households. In other words, most of them are ill-prepared. This issue of preparedness needs to be tackled through effective NGOs, women’s collectives, political will or positive family support. Another area of active research is increasing crime against women. The National Family Health Survey 2005-06 reported that a substantial proportion of married women have been subjected to physical and mental vio-lence. Out of all states, women in Bihar seemed to be most abused, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal (NFHS-3: 2005-6). According to the India’s National Crime Records Bureau, published by the Ministry of Home Affairs, on an average about 125 women faced domestic violence in 2000, which increased to 160 in 2005. Scholars documenting incidence of violence against women since 1985-2007, which included the period of women’s representation in local government noticed that violence against women has increased by 44 per cent (S Ghosh, 2011, ‘Watching, Blaming, Silencing, Interven-ing: Exploring the role of the community in preventing domestic violence in India’, Practicing anthropology). In another study by B Ghosh et.al titled ‘Local governance: Search for new path’, Concept, opined that violence is partly due to women’s presence in the panchayat as women themselves are becoming conscious of their rights. This aspect needs further strengthening with future research.

The author is Head, Women Studies, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi. [email protected]


Women in Kotgarh, Himachal Pradesh on their way to a collective that they attend

on a regular basis.

WOMEN IN PANCHAYAT


A programme of the Ministry of Human Resource

Development in ten states has built a large, robust

base of women’s collectives over the years to

empower women and adolescent girls through

education. These collectives of women at the village

level are networked into federations at the cluster,

block and often at district levels.

Enabling

WomenThrough Collectives

The past 20 years have seen the growth of grass root women’s active involve-ment, through programmes like the Mahila Samakhya (MS) in panchayati raj institutions (PRIs). The National

Literacy Mission, 1988, launched to eradicate adult illiteracy in India, led to the creation of the MS. The over arching objective of the ongoing MS programme is education for the empowerment of women. It has identified several socio-cultural and economic factors that inhibited women’s access to knowledge, information, education, mobility, and

justice—complex factors that could not be tackled without the participation of women themselves. The principal strategy was to ensure this partici-pation through mobilising and organising women into a sangh (collective)—a radical departure from conventional educational programmes at the time. Unlike traditional literacy programmes, learning was led by women, rather than trainers providing inputs.

The mahila sangh, an independent collective of 30 to 50 women constituted at the village level is the nodal point of all activities within the MS.


It provides a space for women to meet and begin articulating and negotiating their needs through collective action. Now, the sangh have expanded their spheres of activity and influence beyond just a single village through federations at the block and district level. Figure 1 represents the current structure of the federation in Andhra Pradesh which has representation from both cluster and sangh levels.

Thus, the programme emerged as a combina-tion of literacy, mobilisation, and collective action ultimately leading to the empowerment of women. Today a strong, autonomous and mobilised wom-en’s constituency has emerged through 37,000 sangh and 150 federations across ten states: And-hra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand—in identified educationally back-ward blocks (EBB) (Fig.2). Among these blocks, programme expansion was prioritised in areas with higher concentrations of tribal, scheduled caste, and minority populations.

The Panchayat Literacy Programme in Ut-tarakhand, a key MS innovation, is promoting women’s political participation as elected women

representatives (EWRs) in the PRIs, as well as citizen participation in the gram sabha. It creates awareness among EWRs and the community about the panchayati raj system, the roles and respon-sibilities of the elected representatives, provides information on programmes, panchayat finances, and encourages gender equity among panchayat members. This initiative has brought thousands of sangh women into power, thus expanding their sphere of influence and ability to exercise their rights as citizens.

Federations across all states have developed networks and linkages with departments and institutions as part of an essential strategy to en-sure sustainability (Fig. 2). In addition to youth groups and village committees, the sangh builds linkages with key people such as the village leader—sarpanch, village elders, and other com-munity leaders to garner community support. At the mandal level, the federation develops linkages with government institutions to help the sangh access rights and resources across the block. These linkages include the mandal development officer, mandal education officer, bank managers, post office, and the child development programme officer, among others. Convergence meetings are conducted at mandal level, initially by the sangh and later by the federations. Government officials are invited to these meetings where the federation members present their work and negotiate around sangh needs.

At the district level, linkages with the district collector, line departments, district legal services authority and zila parishad enable federations to both gain recognition and leverage projects, like food for work awarded by the district collector to the federations in Medak district, Andhra Pradesh. Legal aid service agencies trained the legal com-mittees and provided identity cards for the mahila court members.

MOVEMENT OUTCOMESCreating an enabling environment for women: An enabling environment is necessary for women and girls to exercise their rights and for institu-tions to function effectively. This requires families and local institutions to change their attitudes towards women and recognise their leadership. It also requires that practices that are detrimental to women leadership are challenged. Programmes

The Panchayat Literacy Programme

in Uttarakhand promotes women’s

political participation as elected

women representatives. Babita Rana,

the panchayat head of Chankat village,

Vikas Khand, district Udhamsingh

Nagar won the elections under the

programme’s guidance.

INSE

T PH

OTO

CO

URT

ESY:

SH

RUTI


Fig. 1: Structure of federation in Andhra PradeshThe Andhra Pradesh Mahila Samatha Society (APMSS) defines a federation as ‘a confederation of all village level sangh at mandal (block level).

Source: Fig 1& 2 : Purushothaman, S (ed.) (2010). Innovations Towards Education for Empowerment—Grassroots Women’s Movement

Two to five women represent each village sangh at the cluster level, thus forming a cluster level sangham. Cluster representation is rotated among members, such that there is a mix of experienced and new members. At the same time, one member from every village is elected as a governing body member to represent the village sangh in the mandal fed-eration. At the general body block meeting once in two years, women from all sangh elect the governing body members. The executive committee is selected from this governing body. There are nine to 14 clusters per mandal federation, each of which is represented by a member in the executive committee. The office bearer posi-tions in the executive committee include president, vice-president, secretary, joint secretary, and treasurer. The size and tenure of the executive committee varies across states.

Sangh Sangh

Sangh Sangh

Executive Committee

Governing BodyOne representative from each sangh

Sangh Sangh

Cluster Sangh

Cluster Sangh

onstrations and campaigns. By working together with the federation, mainstream administrative structures have become more open to include policies and resolutions favourable to the women in the community.Access to resources for the community:The federa-tion takes up issues for the community like work for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), water, pen-sion and health. The federation is able to access resources for the community through the strength of their collective, linkages and increased access to information.Challenging corruption: The federations have been able to use their collective strength to deal with corruption. Federations question the status quo of corrupt methods by standing up for their rights, which the community otherwise would

Fig. 2: Linkages at the Mandal Level

MEO

MRO

MDO

MPP, MLA

Post office

CDPO, anganwadi supervisor

Assistant engineer

Police station (SI)

Agriculture market yard

Agricultureofficer

Bank staff/manager

Forest ranger

EDO

MGNREGA APO

ITDA

Other NGOrepresentatives

PHC doctor

IKP/MMS

ZPTC

Sub-collector

Mandal

such as Bala Sangham and Kishori Manch provide gender education to both boys and girls to change attitudes within the community. The campaigns run by the federation at the community level create broad based awareness on the rights of women and girls that sets the stage for subsequent activities of the sangh and federations. Over the years attitudes of the panchayat towards the sangh have changed, from hostility to acceptance. In Andhra Pradesh, the panchayat and the sangh have a mutually ben-eficial relationship. The sangh looks for panchayat support to solve village level issues in schools, health centres, and the anganwadi, and also takes these issues to higher levels of administration. The sangh helps the panchayat members in creating awareness, in identifying the right beneficiaries, mobilising the community to take up activities and in sensitising the community through dem-


never have dared to raise. The federation’s reach to the district level allows them to exercise pressure on officials and local institutions. Unlike a typical hierarchical structure, the federation represents a horizontal organisation, with autonomy at various levels. Federation women, therefore, have the free-dom to approach any level of the government to address issues without having to wait for approval. A woman in the Bihar federation once opined, “The police do not ask us for bribes because they know that we will raise our voice if they do.”Creating second generation leaders: A second generation of gender sensitised leaders are now being developed by the sangh and federations through a series of initiatives. These include the Bala Sangham in Andhra Pradesh, the Kishori Manch in Assam, the Jagjagi Kendra in Bihar and the Mahila Shikshan Kendra across several states.Fighting for issues: Feudalism and caste-related issues, which are not necessarily gender specific, are areas where federations challenge existing power relations. In tribal areas, the sangh has been able to protect their land and environment through the strength of their numbers. Sangh

Women of the federation have the

freedom to approach any level of

the government to address relevant

issues without having to wait for

approval from senior levels. A meeting

over water related concerns being

held in Nainital, Uttarakhand.

women in Saraikela district in Jharkhand were able to prevent a cement factory from taking over their land.

BROADER IMPACTWhile the federations have not yet changed policies and laws, they have most certainly changed prac-tices of local governments, and the manner in which laws, policies and programmes are implemented so as to favour women. A direct impact of the consist-ent efforts of the federation is the active democratic participation of EWRs in the panchayat, and of women in the gram sabha, earlier attended only by men. With their links to local governments, there is improved access to information on public goods and services, which makes officials more vigilant to the fact that women and communities have more knowledge about their entitlements. Thus, they help in making the local government more accountable, transparent, inclusive, equitable,and efficient, especially with respect to poor women (S Purushothaman et. al, 2008, ‘Role of grassroots women’s networks in engendering governance: Case of mahila samakhya, Karnataka’, Sage Publication).

This relationship between women’s federations and the state transcends the typical categories of relations described till now. This new relationship is best described as mutual investment (ibid.), recognising each other’s strengths and weak- nesses and understanding that individual ac-tors cannot handle the complexity of issues and problems inherent in development processes and unequal growth.

Lastly, the federations have been able to bring back the sense of ownership of women over com-munity issues. The insensitivity of formal and traditional governing systems has hitherto kept women from taking action. Women either toler-ated the inefficiency in services or expected the men in the family, who were themselves far from empowered, to take action. The federation is a forum where women demand services as a right and enables the community to get faster and more efficient responses to their needs.

Contributed by Best Practices Foundation, Bangalore, India. [email protected]


The panchayat has existed since ancient times. Here are a set of terms that will let you know exactly how aware you are of India's traditions and its panchayati raj institution. Check with the answers on page 55.

Term Power Answers on PAge 55 ❯❯

1. Panchayata. Local governments at the

village or small town level in India.

b. A pressure group.c. A political party of India.

2. Gram sabhaa. Is the lower house of the

Parliament of India.b. Constituency of the members

of the village panchayat.c. Is the upper house of the state

legislative assembly.

3. PESA a. Is the panchayat

empowerment scheme, 2000.b. Is the Panchayats (extension to

the scheduled areas) Act 1996.c. Is the panchayat essential

social audit policy, 2005.

4. E Panchayata. Is a scheme for computerising

databases, accounts and other

functions of the panchayat.b. Is a scheme to provide direct

grants electronically to the panchayat.

c. Is a scheme to recognise and award the panchayat electronically.

5. BRGF a. Is Backward region gram fillipb. Is Building Regional gram fundc. Is Backward regions grant fund

6. Panchayat strengthening index a. Measures extent to which a

state has devolved powers to its panchayat.

b. Measures the number of women headed panchayat.

c. Measures the people’s participation in grass root democracy.

7. Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar a. Is an award to encourage the

panchayat for improvements in participative governance at the grass root.

b. Is an award to motivate the panchayat to address the important issues of social concern viz., nutrition and health etc.

c. Is both a and b.

8. Aajeevika a. Is another name for National

rural livelihood missionb. Is another name for

Mahatma Gandhi national rural employment guarantee scheme.

c. Is another name for Swaran jayanti sahari rozgar yojana

9. National Panchayati Raj Day a. is celebrated on 24th April b. is in the process of being commissioned c. is celebrated at the district level only.


EWRss t a f f R E p o R t E R

A successful campaign to empower elected women representatives (EWRs) in the State, suggests that supporting them addresses

several issues through the panchayat as women’s leadership is inclusive, collaborative, consultative, tolerant of different points of view, people-oriented and uses democratic and facilitative forms of decision-making.

Women in Panchayat

Maharashtra was awarded the first position for incremental devolution of power under the Panchayat Empowerment and Accountability Incentive

Scheme (PEAIS); third position in Cumulative Devolution; and the e-Panchayat Award for its effective village-oriented computer programme—‘SANGRAM’ for the year 2011-12. These achievements may be alluded to the presence of 50 per cent elected women representatives in the pan-chayat, as opposed to the mandated 33 per cent.

The Mahila Rajsatta Andolan (MRA) team. MRA is a network campaign in 25 districts of the State to empower women and strengthen their participation in governance processes.

THE STORY OF MAHARASHTRA


This progress in Maharashtra has been enabled by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working at the grass root. The Mahila Rajsatta Andolan (MRA), a campaign started in 2000 with support from the Resource and Support Centre for Devel-opment (RSCD), aims to empower women and strengthen their participation in governance proc-esses through panchayati raj institutions (PRIs).

Inspired by Savitri Bai Phule, who dedicated her life to the education and empowerment of deprived women, the MRA began in 500 vil-lages, through 5 regional networks in 25 districts of Maharashtra. Newly elected 841 women leaders are registered for the distance educa-tion programme while a team of 125 women leaders are facilitating the process of local self-governance in 75 blocks of 25 districts in Maharashtra. The MRA has been working on con-solidating an association of elected women leaders and potential women leaders in order to strengthen governance.

Women leaders in the Ratnagiri region first voiced their demands during the Pani Parishad conducted in May 2004, which was attended by 400 people of the Madangarh tehsil. Since then, women have climbed the echelons of power and

are now at the forefront of the fight against social malaises at the village level. The NGO Parivartan started working with the women leaders and members of four tehsil (blocks) in Ratnagiri district—Mandangarh, Chiplun, Dapoli and Guhaghar, in 2003. So far they have conducted several successful programmes with the EWRs in these areas. Parivartan is currently working with 71 sarpanch, nine upsarpanch and 219 women members in 100 panchayat in the region.

The women led campaiGnsWomen in Ratnagiri have led the campaign to eradicate alcoholism by working with the police at both the village and district level and have also been involved in helping authorities curb sand mining. EWRs are working to end alcohol induced violence with the support of the female electorate in the region. Moreover, women lead-ers have been involved in development works like road construction, cleanliness drives, pension for senior citizens, etc.

The MRA experience suggests that when one focuses on activating existing structures and ensuring proper service delivery, rather than in initiating parallel governance systems, people’s

EWR Anjana Amrutsagar leading the EWR's rally during the Amravati Convention. Rallies, plays and group songs have proved to be effective means of creating awareness.


ownership is strengthened. Supporting EWRs addresses several issues through the panchayat as women’s leadership is more inclusive, collabo-rative, consultative, more tolerant of different points of view, more people-oriented and uses more democratic and facilitative forms of decision-making.

emerGinG Go od pracTicesDuring district workshops in Maharashtra a set of ten good practices emerged that have been repli-cated more than 50 times. These are Savitrigatha - which encourages women to lead by example by building a connection with dedicated grass root workers; mahila gram sabha - organising an all female forum before the gram sabha to voice needs related to women issues; Yuvatisunvai - open hearing of the problems of adolescent girls; pre-assembly session workshop - where current issues that ought to be placed in the legislative assembly when in session are discussed; joint house ownership - a campaign to operationalise the government’s directive that all houses are to be in the joint ownership of husband and wife. The other activities that gave good results are flag hoist-ing by woman sarpanch - to combat prejudices in the raising of the flag on ceremonial occasions; saksham me - an inspiring series of news reports on the successes of women elected representatives published in the Loksatta newspaper; sap shidi – a governance programme patterned on snakes and ladders, that makes it easy for women to under-stand simple dos and don’ts in government; and gram panchayat darshan - organised visit to the

panchayat offices for women, to rid them of the fear of visiting a government office.

endnoTeThere are several activities that would go a long way in strengthening the EWRs. Mahila sabha before every gram sabha need to be evolved statu-torily as a national policy. Every state may open a toll free helpline and a cell for elected women at the state and district levels to attend to emergent needs (adverse or otherwise) in terms of police assistance, information dissemination, legal assist-ance, counselling, etc., with a view to strengthen women's participation. An EWRs protection law to deal with proxy mukhiya violence against women candidates during and after elections, needs to be put in place. It is important to provide right to land and housing in joint names of spouses; for single, deserted, dalit, tribal, widowed and battered women and for those rendered homeless in caste or communal riots and due to displacement.

The women leaders can further be strengthened by imparting knowledge about government schemes for the development of the village, as well as about the government’s programmes on wom-en’s issues. Another successful way of empowering the EWRs, and the other women in the village, is by making them economically independent; this can be done by assisting them to set up small busi-nesses and stalls in the local market.

Inputs from Bhim Raskar, Programme Director, Resource and Support Centre for Development, Mumbai and Shyamal Kadam, Secretary, Parivartan, Chiplun, Ratnagiri.

A play on 'Save the girl child' being performed during the Mahila Parishad in Chiplun (November 2012), which was attended by women leaders from four blocks of Ratnagiri.

A gynaecologist addressing the Simantinee Mahila Sangha Yuvati Melava in Ratnagirti district, December 2013. Health issues concerning adolescent girls were discussed.


Term Power raTing■ 1 to 4 Correct - Informed ■ 5 to 7 Correct - Knowledge bank ■ 8 to 9 Correct - Encyclopaedia

Panchayati raj1. Panchayat: Ans. a The panchayat is a local self-government at the village level in India. Panchayat systems are often referred to as the grass root level of democracy.

2. Gram sabha: Ans. b The Indian Constitution defines gram sabha as “a body consisting of persons registered in the electoral rolls relating to a village". It provides a forum for rural populace to discuss their common problems, ensure transparency and accountability in the functioning of the panchayat. 3. PESA: Ans. b It is a 1996 Act which extended the provisions of the panchayat to tribal areas of nine states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.

4. e Panchayat: Ans. a It is a scheme for computerising databases, accounts and other functions of the panchayat for accountability and transparency under the mission mode programme of the Indian government.

5. BRGF: Ans. c The Backward Regions Grant Fund is designed to redress regional imbalances in development.

6. Panchayat Strengthening Index (PSI) measures:Ans. a The extent to which a state has devolved powers to its panchayat, built its capacities and created a framework for accountability.

7. Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar: Ans. c It was initiated by Ministry of Panchayati Raj in 2010 to devise a structure of incentives to appreciate and encourage the panchayat for outstanding performance, through effective gram sabha.

8. Aajeevika: Ans. a Earlier known as the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), it was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India in June 2011. The Mission enables the rural poor to increase household income through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services.

9. National Panchayati Raj Day Ans. a The Ministry of Panchayati Raj celebrates the 24th of April as the special day and organises a national conference every year to commemorate it.


Women in Panchayat

Are PAnchAyAti rAj institutions Gender resPonsive?

men in the villages of alwar believe that ‘a woman should tolerate violence to keep her family together’.


The ICRW study provides evidence and makes a compelling case for a much needed review of elected local governance bodies; and for related actions to engender both the attitudes and abilities of elected representatives.

Ravi K Verma and Nandita Bhatla

In a 2011-12 study to understand whether or not panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) are gender responsive, the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) examined strategic gender issues that are raised and

discussed in these spaces, and the factors that influence these discussions. Attention to strategic gender issues challenge women’s status in society and transform power relations to enable social justice—a responsibility entrusted to the pan-chayat with the passage of the 73rd Amendment. In addition to other forms of discrimination, the study focused on the issue of domestic violence, one of the most pervasive and daily manifestations of gender inequity.

The field research was based in three districts, one each in the states of Rajasthan (Alwar), Kar-nataka (Mysore) and Odisha (Gajapati) where close to 3,000 elected men and women panchayat members were interviewed. Information on select themes was collected from sarpanch, members of panchayat samiti and zila parishad, and other stakeholders.


The study provides evidence and makes a com-pelling case for a much needed review of elected local governance bodies; and for related actions to engender both the attitudes and abilities of elected representatives. It is interesting that while the pan-chayat is often touted as a platform for innovative programmes both by civil society and the govern-ment to address social inequalities in sectors such as girls’ education and women’s health, there is still a lack of momentum to overhaul its prevailing ‘image’ beyond that of an implementer of schemes.

Concepts of citizenship and people’s par-ticipation in platforms of local governance too are limited. Findings clearly revealed that PRIs are not perceived by most male and female elected mem-bers as a space for bringing out gender concerns, including violence against women. Findings also suggest that apart from infrastructure and schemes, little else can be discussed in these local level platforms. This perception emerges as the single most important factor influencing pan-chayat members, who are constantly approached individually by women to resolve cases of domestic violence. From our study, it statistically emerged that when elected members, male or female, found these issues to be of importance they were 21 times more likely to raise it in their meetings.

The PRI is further constrained in its ability to address gender issues by highly inequitable gen-der attitudes of elected representatives, especially male members. The study cites close to half the men endorsing violence— ‘a woman should tol-erate violence to keep her family together’ is the option they chose amongst others that pointed towards a less tolerant attitude towards violence against women. Adding to that, more than 70 per cent respondents felt that violence should not be discussed outside the family. The greatest differ-ence between male and female members was over the statement ‘a woman deserves to be beaten sometimes’. Twice as many men agreed with this statement as women. The study also reveals that fe-male panchayat members feel that they are clueless about how to address these issues, whereas their communities do expect it of them.

For elected women members, the family and in particular the spouse’s support continues to remain a key determinant of success in the political process. It is perhaps for this reason that while a substantial proportion of women report increased self-con-fidence, status and decision making; they do not show a significant desire to re-contest. Women’s decision to re-contest is also not influenced by their education level or experience. What mattered most was whether the husband was supportive or not!

endnoteOur work with a number of PRIs points to-wards the fact that training models devised for building capacities of elected members need to be designed within a gender framework to ad-dress issues of gender equality and equity. Not surprising therefore that majority of the women members in the study sites sought upgradation of the training programmes. Despite opportunities being created for women, its operationalisation is often left to chance. It is assumed that the pres-ence of women in governance will automatically translate into gender responsiveness, but scant attention is accorded to extending this dialogue within communities and families where the odds of stepping out of ‘traditional’ roles are still against women.

As more and more women aspire to take their rightful place within governance bodies, it is important for all institutions (state, family and community) to respond to women’s specific needs such as bridging gaps in education, renegotiating gender roles, the gender division of labour and addressing biased attitudes. This, coupled with a discourse to engender institutional and operational frameworks to place strategic gender interests at the core of the governance processes will go a long way in exploiting the potential of the panchayat as spaces of democracy and equitable development.

The authors are Regional Director, Asia Region and Senior Gender and Development Specialist, International Centre for Research on Women, New Delhi respectively. [email protected]

In most cases the panchayat is not perceived by both male and

female elected members as a space for bringing out gender concerns,

including violence against women.

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Women In Panchayat

Sivani mogra Panchayat, Bhandara District, maharashtra: enforcing identity An all women gram sabha and its chairperson focused on identity, recognition and celebration of womanhood in society. Today, women’s names are written on residence nameplates and the panchayat records the woman’s name as the head of the house.

nashirpur Panchayat, Amravati District, maharash-tra: Rain water harvestingThe woman sarpanch of Nashirpur Gram Panchayat learnt about rain water harvesting (RWH) through a TV channel. Thereafter, a gram sabha was organised in which all the village members voted in favour of adopting the RWH technology for the village. Now, every household roof is connected through underground pipes that carry water to a common well; the water is used for irrigation and washing of clothes and cattle.

Zari Panchayat, nanded District, maharashtra: Fighting malnutritionOf the 134 children registered with the Zari Anganwadi, 31 were suffering from malnutrition. To fight this, a suitable diet – affordable, palatable and nutritious, was prepared. The laddoo comprising of dates, soya bean egg, rice, sagu and gud (jaggery) was devised. The endeavour was supported by philanthropists from the village. This effort has already started showing results.

manyachiwadi Panchayat, Satara District, maharashtra: Solar energySpurred by the State's incentive for installing solar street lights, the panchayat decided to place solar lighting in individual houses. Encouraged by the response, the project was upscaled for the entire village. Stand-alone solar powered systems for domestic lighting were procured and the village was lit up with solar lights in January 2011. The average electricity bill of Rs 30,000 per month came down by 60 to 70 per cent. The panchayat is now planning to install solar water heaters and solar pumps.

Powerful local initiatives by elected women leaders at the village level have led to innovative outcomes. We present stories that made the difference in the year 2012-13.


Kalekhantala II Panchayat, Burdwan District, West Bengal: Safe drinking water A three stage water treatment plant supplies potable water to the inhabitants of Kalekhantala as well as the adjoining villages, with Rs 6.36 lakh allotted from the ISGPP programme of the government of West Bengal. Water is drawn by a submersible pump and stored in a 2000 litre tank and passed through 3 stages for filtering impurities like iron, arsenic and bacteria. The water is distributed in 20 litre jars for Rs 5, or 2 litre bottles for Rs 2. A novel way to augment the panchayat’s own resources, and simultaneously provide the people of the village with potable water. Source: Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar 2012-13: Good Practices, Government of India, Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

Daniya Panchayat, Rajnandgaon District, Chhattisgarh: Improved taxation After being elected as the first woman sarpanch of the Daniya Panchayat, the sarpanch decided to collect mandatory taxes and donations from the community. Initially, the community resisted but after extensive discussion, they understood its importance and cooperated. The panchayat Dania collects taxes of Rs 24 per annum on sanitation, Rs 60 to Rs. 256 per annum on house/property, Rs 180 to Rs 360 per annum on commercial activities and Rs 30 per month on water. The improved tax base has led to better developmental works in the area.

erendra Panchayat, Ganjam District, odisha: Irrigation facilities The Dhepabandha tank provided irrigation to the village for several years until it was damaged by floods in 1990. The panchayat of Erendra came forward to renovate the tank; and with their constant persuasion the Government of Odisha, through its Minor Irrigation Department, sanctioned Rs 9.72 lakhs in 2010. Today, with the increased catchment area, more than 120 farmers are growing sugarcane, paddy and vegetables, which is an additional source of income.

Papparambakkam Village Panchayat, Tiruvallur District, Tamil nadu: ISo CertificationThe front wall of the Panchayat office is adorned by a notice that read “ISO 9001-2008 Certified Office: Office Time 10 am to 6 pm”. On enquiry, the president revealed that she had heard of ISO certification and thought of obtaining it for her panchayat. She persistently pursued the idea, knowing that ISO certificate entailed that the panchayat, the elected representatives and the village community work as a team, follow the office procedures to ensure full transparency in the gram sabha. A fire extinguisher and a first aid box were also installed.


Greening Urban India Through

iTs Buildings

The living ecosystem building of Development Alternatives

Greening inDiA


The need to adopt a green way of life is reflected in

the increasing demand for ‘green’ buildings. It remains

to be seen whether voluntary submissions would suffice in the effort to achieve holistic

conservation of resources.

Staff reporter


A green building is one in which the materials used and the methods of operation help in energy, water and natural resource conservation, and

create a healthy atmosphere for its occupants. Residential complexes, exhibition centres, hospi-tals, educational institutions, laboratories, IT parks, airports, government buildings as well as corpo-rate offices can be constructed to be ‘green’ while provisions exist by which old buildings too can be turned green. According to Priyanka Kochhar, the Senior programme manager at Association for Development and Research of Sustainable Habitats (ADaRSH) the total rated built up area in India (including all types of rating systems) comprises less than 1 per cent. Green buildinG normsIndia primarily identifies three codes for green construction. The first, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), is a global standard certification developed by the U S Green Build-ing Council, that was unveiled in March 2000. In India, LEED certification is awarded by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) is an indig-enous rating system developed by Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute of India (TERI). The third is the Construction Industry Development Council’s (CIDC) Comprehensive Green Rating (CCGR) system.

leedA programme providing third party verification of green buildings, LEED has been adopted in more than 140 countries and territories. About 40 per cent of the footage which had earned LEED certification was outside the USA by the end of 2012. The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, managed by the Confedera-tion of Indian Industries (CII), adopted LEED in 2003. Subsequently, LEED 2011 for India was launched by IGBC which came into effect the same year. The LEEDIndia certificate refers to local and national codes wherever available, and uses international codes when no codes are available. It is a voluntary, market driven certification based on reference standards such as the Bureau of Indian Standards’ National Building Code (NBC), the Ministry of Power’s Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engi-neers (ASHRAE) etc.

According to the IGBC the green building foot-print in India has increased from 20,000 sq ft in 2003 to 627 million sq ft in 2011 and to 1.65 billion sq ft in 2013. IGBC envisions India as the global leader in sustainable built management by 2025. The Coun-cil has architects, manufacturers, government and nodal agencies, corporate and institutions as its members. LEED India 2011 gives green guidelines for new constructions and for ‘greenification’ of old constructions. To earn LEED certification the project must satisfy five predetermined criteria—energy; water; building material; environment quality; and, site selection. Based on the points earned, the levels of certification are granted—silver, gold or plati-num. But, as of 13 November, 2013, IGBC has rated merely 427 buildings all over the nation.

As the certification is voluntary, a series of benefits is outlined for its better usage. In Noida, buildings with certification get an extra five per cent floor area ratio (FAR). Also this certification, apart from the obvious benefits of water and energy conservation which adds up to savings, ensures a quicker clear-ance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India, for buildings that fall under its purview.

GrihaDeveloped as an indigenous building rating system, particularly to address and assess non-air condi-tioned or partially air conditioned buildings, GRIHAis a tool to measure the environmental performance of a building in the context of India’s varied climate. The code undergoes technical revisions every year and the last Technical Advisory Committee meeting held in July, 2012 led to GRIHA version 3.

GRIHA integrates all relevant Indian codes and standards for buildings, like ECBC, NBC, local by-laws, CPCB guidelines, and acts as a tool to facilitate

There are three codes for green rating - the international LEED, The indigenous GRIHA and the planning commission’s CCGR, the newest entrant.


implementation of the same. The certification cri-teria are site and building planning; construction; building operation and maintenance; and, innova-tion. Depending on the points earned by fulfilling these criteria the project can get between one to a maximum of five stars as rating. So far, 21 projects have received the GRIHA rating with built up area over 1 million sq m.

CCGrCIDC, jointly established by the Planning Com-mission, Government of India and the Indian construction industry, launched its version of green building rating system, the CCGR, in December 2011. The CCGR rating system, which applies to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional buildings, is calculated in percentages based on com-pliance with criteria such as site environment and natural resource optimisation; resource recovery systems; hygiene, health and human environment; building materials embodied energy optimisation; resource optimisation of building operations and maintenance; and, management systems for sus-tained focus on greenness of building.

The director of CIDC, Sunil Mahajan said, CCGRtakes into account total comparative energy con-sumed from planning to demolition. It does not focus only on on-site green practices, but also on off-site green methods. There is thus emphasis on the energy embodied products used in construction. As the production of materials could be polluting, it needs to be factored into calculating the green-ness of a building. As quoted by Mahajan, buildings account for 15-19 per cent of the infrastructure in India, while almost 83 per of the infrastructure is dams, roads, bridges power plants, etc. CIDCintends to include this remaining 83 per cent in its rating system.

materials for Green ConstruCtionAccording to the director of Environmental Design Solutions, Anamika Prasad, green materials are more easily available at prices comparable to those in the international markets today than they were in 2003—when the first green building was made. Materials for green buildings are available for construction as well as for interiors. Flyash bricks, recycled carpets, high albedo roofing materials, high performance glass, certified wood, low VOCpaints, high COP chillers and CO2 sensors are just a few of the green materials available in the market. IGBC has developed 50 green products for a variety

of uses like insulation, efficient motors, efficient pumps, solar systems, LEDs and better glass. In some places solar energy is being used to cool build-ings. However, the price of green materials is still about 10-15 per cent higher than regular products; as also the knowledge about product use is still not prevalent among architects and engineers, opines Prasad. Srinivas S, the head of the Confederation of Indian Industry – Sohrabji Godrej Green Build-ing Centre adds, that by conservative estimates, the green material market is likely to grow to 100 billion USD in the next five years. According to the head of ABL Architects, Ashok B Lall, he finds more people asking for green methods and materials in the recent past.

PerformanCe of Green buildinGsIt is not without cause that less than 1 per cent of built-up area in India has turned ‘green’. To begin with there is a poor level of awareness among the stakeholders. Builders and promoters often do not

Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, Hyderabad (Platinum rated)


promote the ‘green’ agenda and only offer details when specific demands are placed. A common perception has been built about green buildings that they cost much more than regular buildings. However, increment in costs have been decreas-ing over the years. Also, it is well documented that the extra expenditure in constructing green buildings is earned through savings made in op-erational costs.

Speaking to our correspondent, Srinivas S added that these buildings have mapped a 30-40 per cent energy and 30-50 per cent water saving. He emphasised that people working in such environ-ments have 12-15 per cent more productivity than their non-green counterparts as green buildings are always fresh.

endnoteAlthough promoters and builders continue to advertise a building’s ‘green’-ness, misinforming the common man, the various certifications does put construction of large buildings in perspec-tive. The mandate towards holistic conservation of resources is a glorious one, although it would remain to be seen whether voluntary submissions would suffice in this arduous task. The fact that the various certifications have not been made

mandatory by the government of India speaks a volume for the commitment of our policy mak-ers. According to Srinivas, who advocates the voluntary and market driven system, compulsion would encourage people to cheat. He also believes that governmental incentives are necessary to promote green buildings as the incremental costs are repaid and energy and resource conservation leads to monetary saving, which is an incentive in itself. Lall feels that there should be disincentives for inefficient use, such as higher charge per capita consumption of electricity above a predetermined limit. Prasad adds that since we cannot ask consumers to invest 10-15 per cent extra on con-struction materials and technologies, we should move towards making certification or codes mandatory as these practices are for public inter-est and general good of the nation. For a country that hasn’t been able to assure food, health services and shelter despite specific policies in place—what fate would voluntary commitments for water and energy conservation in buildings have? As construction projects become larger in scale, the mandate of green buildings needs to be asserted to reduce operating costs and conserve energy and effectively preserve the health of the population and environment.

The National Building Code Developed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in 1970, the Code provides guidelines for regulating construction activities across India and serves as a model code for all agencies. It outlines administrative regulations, development control rules and general building requirements; fire safety requirements; stipulations regarding materials, structural design and construction (including safety); and building and plumbing services. In short it is an instruction manual for quality control in construction. The authority for implementing construction codes lies with public bodies and action against flouting the norms is under their purview.

The latest National Building Code of India 2005 (NBC 2005) was

developed to include provisions to reduce losses to structures caused by natural calamities like super cyclones and earthquakes, and to include advances in construction techniques. As reported by Business Line on October 18, 2013, several norms or green construction will be incorporated in the NBC by March, 2014.

The Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC)It is a voluntary code to promote energy efficiency in the building sector. It was developed with help from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), through the bilateral agreement signed between USAID and the Indian government in 2000; its implementation is being monitored

by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). It has guidelines for building envelop, lighting system, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, electrical system and water heating and pumping system. The ECBC is applicable to air conditioned commercial buildings with connected load more than 100kW. According to Sanjay Seth, the energy economist in charge of the Building Programme of BEE, about 25-30 per cent energy reduction is possible and in certain cases nearly 50 per cent savings were achieved. However, the residential sector is not covered under the ECBC. BEE recommends the use of BEE Star labeled appliances and efficient lighting as these are the major sources of use of energy in the household sector.

Building codes


Greening india

The GRIHA-Prakriti green rating system was launched in a joint collab-oration of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Association for Development and Research of

Sustainable Habitats (ADaRSH) for schools in India. It is a learning cum rating process and aims to create a more sustainable education system by imparting environmentally ethical values among students and faculty.

The rating systemThe system constitutes of two modules—train-ing by Prakriti followed by the rating facilitated through Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment(GRIHA) to evaluate the energy and environmental performances of a school. Cur-rently, the rating has been designed for existing day schools in urban areas. The rating will take place in two stages, the first being based on a proforma based self assessment of the existing performance,

Green RatingSystem For Schools

Staff reporter


and the second recommending retrofits to be con-ducted by a team of experts. After implementing the recommended measures, the school shall have a choice to re-evaluate its facilities and upgrade the level of rating. The categories under which the assessment shall be conducted include site plan-ning, carbon footprint, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy utilisation, indoor environmen-tal quality and solid waste management.

This rating provides a road map for the schools to improve upon their environment and can be used as an educational tool to impart awareness

of environment and ecology, and the necessities to safeguard it. It also develops healthier and greener lifestyles and reduces of wasteful consumption among youth. Moreover, the rating shall be through a participatory process that shall engage with the management, students, faculty and other members of the school. The hands-on evaluation will allow students to develop environmentally responsible attitudes and lead a greener lifestyle.

The GRIHA-Prakriti rating for ‘green’ schools was launched on 16th January 2014, at the GRIHA Summit in New Delhi.

Sections Criteria for rating Score range - mini-mum to maximum (to achieve rating)

Cumulative scores^^

25to30

31to35

36to40

41to45

46to50

Energy i. Existing, inefficient internal artificial lighting systems retrofitted.ii. Outdoor lamps with luminous efficacy.iii. Outdoor lights controlled by automatic controls.

5- 10

Water i. Safe, potable water in sufficient quantity for students and children. ii. Rainwater harvesting to be practiced.iii. Toilets clean and free of odour.iv. No leaking taps.

6- 12

Comfort i. Sufficient light for indoor spaces. Indoor lux levels^ should adhere to National Building Code NBC 2005 recommendations.ii. Indoor temperature and relative humidity levels not to exceed NBC 2005 recommendations. iii. Sound level inside and outside classrooms should meet normsiv. An indoor air quality audit to be conducted to ensure that CO and RSPM levels inside classrooms – should be within specified limits.

5-10

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Trees Number of trees planted on site should meet the rating threshold :i. </= 250 sq m site area: 2 treesii. 251 sq m – 750 sq.m. site area: 3 treesiii. >750 sq m site area: 1 tree per every 250 sq m of site area

3-5

Solid WasteManagement

i. Segregating waste at source.ii. Converting organic waste into manure/biogas on the campus itself.iii. Recycling of metal, plastic, paper, e-waste

2-5

Social i. Built up area per capita – sq.m./capita – should comply with the GRIHA-Prakriti threshold i.e. 1.1 sqm/capita < X < 8 sqm/capita.ii. More than 10 practical environmental activities every yeariii. Visual representation of energy and water consumption iv. Fire safety norms complied

4-8

Total points 50

Table : GRIHA-Prakriti school rating system

^ Lux levels are a measure of the level of lighting in a building or area of a building. Lighting levels are task dependant with higher levels of illumination required for more detailed tasks.^^GRIHA-Prakriti rating for sustainable schools as per the points achieved. The highest number of stars accorded is 5.

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“Higher education in India has lost its sense of direction”Bhikhu Parekh laid bare the state of education in

India, drew a comparison between Gandhi and

Tagore…

“Just as life is not quantifiable, so is the

concept of green”B V Doshi believes that green buildings are a

cultural identity, and that sustainability does not

need money…

“Social sciences need multidisciplinary

research”Prithvish Nag voiced the need of making research in social

sciences multidisciplinary...

“MoES to focus on discovery, improved

observations”Shailesh Nayak comments

about the services rendered to the nation by the Ministry and states

its plans…

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