Karnataka   

Centre to release reports on status of women in PR set-up

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Special guest: Union Minister for Panchayat Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar being greeted by participants at a conference of women presidents and vice-presidents of zilla, taluk and gram panchayats in Bangalore on Monday.

Bangalore: The Union Government has decided to come out with two separate reports on the status of women in panchayati raj system and an independent evaluation of the state of panchayats in the country.

Disclosing this at a conference of women presidents and vice-presidents of zilla, taluk and gram panchayats organised by the Karnataka Panchayat Parishat in Bangalore on Monday, Union Minister for Panchayat Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar said both the reports would be submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on April 24, 2008, which is also being observed as Panchayat Raj Divas as the gazette notification on implementation of panchayat raj system was issued on this day in 1993.

He said the Centre had commenced a study on the status of women in panchayat raj. The process would involve a survey, field visits and then an analytical study. While marketing research company ACNielsen had been chosen for conducting the survey, chairperson of the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Nirja Gopal Jayal, would undertake the study.

The study on the evaluation of the state of panchayats would be conducted by Yogender Alagh of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand.

Pointing out that the national study could not go deep into the status of women in Karnataka, Mr. Aiyar asked Karnataka to conduct a separate State-level study on the issue. Such a study would help the Centre and other States to learn from the experience of Karnataka.

Responding to Mr. Aiyar’s suggestion, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj C.M. Udasi said he would soon hold a meeting with officials of his department to decide the nature of the State-level study to be taken up.

Mr. Aiyar said the performance of women in panchayat raj institutions in Karnataka was the best in the country. The representation of women in panchayat raj institutions was nearly 45 per cent in Karnataka as against the national average of 38 per cent though the reservation to women in these grassroots bodies was only 33 per cent.

Karnataka was able to make such rapid strides mainly due to the increasing representation by Dalit women. As against the reservation of 33 per cent, the representation of SC and ST women in the panchayats stood at 54 per cent and 65 per cent respectively, the Minister said and termed this a welcome change.

Of course, Bihar had 55 per cent women representation in panchayat raj bodies, Mr. Aiyar observed.

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