Kerala - Kochi   

State takes lead in empowering women

KOCHI: Kerala led other States in implementing the Panchayati Raj concept of empowering women, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar said here on Saturday.

He was inaugurating the Mahila Sakthi Abhiyan, meant to bring together women panchayat leaders and address their issues. Kerala is the 17th State in which the programme is being implemented.

Even though the State had made remarkable achievements in Panchayati Raj, some things need to be improved, the Union Minister said.

While the reservation for women in local bodies continued to be 33 per cent here, it was 40 per cent in a small State such as Sikkim and 50 per cent in States such as Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarkhand and Bihar.

The Union government had initiated many steps and studies to improve the status of panchayats.

One such proposal was to connect all panchayats electronically and then connect these panchayats to local administration bodies or the State governments concerned. The project was expected to cost Rs.8,000 crore.

With such a system in place, it would be easy to impart training to panchayats simultaneously or to pass on decisions, Mr. Aiyar said.

He also urged the women panchayat leaders to forward their recommendations and suggestions to the Ministry before the empowered sub-committee met in New Delhi in early July, ahead of the National Development Council meeting.

In his presidential address, Minister for Local Self-Government Paloli Mohammed Kutty said that the State government would provide all support for Panchayati Raj projects.

Kochi Mayor Mercy Williams; Sebastian Paul, MP; P.K. Sainabha, member, State Women Commission; Muridul Eappen, member, State Planning Board; Anavur Nagappan, president, District Panchayat President’s Chamber; Aymanam Babu, president, Block Panchayat Association; K. Narayanan, president, Kerala Grama Panchayat Association, N. Ramakantan, director, Kerala Institute for Local Administration; Beena Sunny, vice-president, Kerala Grama Panchayat Association, spoke.

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