Empowerment of women gram pradhan through panchayati raj institutions: a study in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand
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Date
2021-11
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263145 (Uttarakhand)
Abstract
Women constitute half part of the society, with equal rights, women in India are victims of a multiple of socio-economic, political, and cultural factors. Women with disabilities have been largely neglected. Also due to many societal rules and regulations, they never are a part of the decision-making process. When we talk about the status of women in the Indian society, the most important aspect that comes to mind is patriarchy. Though at present women enjoy equal status with men as per the constitution and legal provisions but still, they have a long way to go. It is correct that “a country flourish if its women flourish”. So, women’s empowerment is vital towards the development of the society. ‘Empowerment’ means ‘to authorize’. In the context of the people, they have to be authorized to have control over their own lives. Women empowerment means to give women the opportunity to fulfil their creative capabilities and desires and take decisions independently. It has social, political, economic, cultural dimensions. Though many laws have been enacted not only at the national level but also at the international level, women could not occupy an equal role in the decision-making processes across the world. Even in the post 73rd Amendment of the Constitution of India, the role of women in its democratic decision-making is not satisfactory. On March 12th, 2008, the Uttarakhand Panchayat Law (Amendment) Bill was passed, establishing a 50% reservation for women in Panchayati raj institutions. For two consecutive administrations, the Act called for a 50 percent quota for women in the Panchayat Raj System. In Uttarakhand, the provisions of the Uttarakhand Panchayati Raj Amendment Act 2008 have been in effect for more than ten years. However, their administrative role is minimal; they work according to their husbands and in-laws and do not make decisions on their own; they are not so aware of their powers and responsibilities; and they have a low political status. It is necessary to comprehend the constraints that women experience under the PRI in the state of Uttarakhand, specifically in the Dehradun District. The present study entitled “Empowerment of Women Gram Pradhan through Panchayati Raj Institutions: A Study in Garhwal Region of Uttarakhand” Four blocks were chosen randomly from the Dehradun district. A total of 170 Gram Panchayats are present in these four blocks, and from these Gram Panchayats, 80 women Gram Pradhans were selected for the study. A semi structured interview schedule was used to collect the data from the respondents. In the present study Interview schedule, Knowledge test by Dak (2008), Empowerment scale by Tyade (2006) was used. The statistical techniques such as percentage, mean, frequency and standard deviation were used to analyse the data for meaningful interpretation. The findings of the study reported that the majority of the respondents were middle aged, there was not a single respondent who was illiterate. All the respondents were married, belonged to the nuclear family type and had a medium family size. Maximum respondents belonged to the general caste, had agricultural background and possessed land of less than one hectare. Majority of them had a political contact with the block pramukh, had a medium level of annual family income, extension agency contact, mass media exposure, cosmopoliteness and decision-making ability. The findings reflect that majority of the respondents possessed medium level of knowledge about Panchayati raj institutions and had a medium level of empowerment (social, economic and political). The results of the study showed that women Gram Pradhans viewed the lack of funds from the government for development work as the major constraint. The findings of the study will help the government and NGOs designing strategies to enhance the knowledge level and empowerment level of the respondents and will also assist them in reducing the constraints face by women gram Pradhans in PRIs.