WUNRN
Women’s Feature Service
INDIA – WOMEN VILLAGE PANCHAYAT LEADERS IMPROVE
DEVELOPMENT, QUALITY OF LIFE, GENDER EMPOWERMENT
By Aditi Bhaduri
Ranchi (Women’s Feature Service) - Later she would
hear how lovely the weather had been, how brightly the sun had shone and how
the temperature had been just right that day. But when she had entered her
husband's village as a young bride in 2007, all she saw was a sea of faces. All
she could think of was her new life that lay ahead: the relatives she had to
make her own, the man who was now her husband, the children that would come
soon... Not even in her wildest dreams had Priyanka Devi of Katkamdag panchayat
in Jharkhand imagined that, in just a few years, she would become a much-loved
and respected village leader.
The turning point came with an announcement in 2010 –
that Jharkhand would conduct panchayat polls for the very first time that year.
“By then I had completed my graduation. Both my husband’s family and my parents
greatly believe in the value of education and that enabled me to complete my
studies. When elections were announced a few male candidates were finalised
from the village. However, as they made door-to-door visits asking for support
I was filled with dismay. I wondered what sort of change could men, who were
often found drunk, got into brawls, gambled away their wife’s jewellery, bring
to our village?” shares Priyanka.
She often discussed this with her husband and her
in-laws, much to the chagrin of her sisters-in-law, who understood little of
how politics could impact women, and fumed when Priyanka displayed interest.
Nonetheless, what followed just seemed to be fait accompli. The family came to
know that their panchayat seat was reserved for women, in accordance with the
73rd constitutional amendment. Since they were perhaps the only educated family
in the village, including Priyanka, the community urged her to jump into the
fray.
With the wholehearted backing of her husband and
father-in-law, who helped her campaign and told her about the rules and
workings of the system, Priyanka won hands down. “Garnering votes,” she says,
“was not the most difficult task even though I was expecting my second child at
the time. The real test came afterwards.”
The initial days were not easy. Whereas she wanted to
immediately get to the task of wiping out alcoholism from the village – it was
her primary poll promise – she had no idea how to go about doing it.
Interestingly, what did work in her favour was the fact that in her panchayat
six of the 10 wards had chosen women panches to represent them. With a majority
of women in the decision-making position, Priyanka was chosen as the ‘mukhiya’,
or head, and it was impossible for the men to dominate the proceedings.
Nevertheless, the reality was that the women did lack
training to fulfil their duties. After all, this had been the first panchayat elections
in the state after a gap of 32 years. It was her education and understanding
that helped her navigate in the beginning, apart from a few necessary capacity
building meetings organised off-and-on. “It was tough to take control of
things. The information and training provided was not adequate,” she states,
“The language was often incomprehensible and many of the other women, who were
illiterate or semi-literate, were simply unable to comprehend the literature.
In addition, we had to face the bitter resentment of the male panches, who felt
they were being deprived of the absolute power they felt they were entitled to
just because they were men!”
Despite the odds, Priyanka persisted along with her
team of women. Thanks to her single-minded focus, she has been able to rid her
panchayat of alcoholism, conscious of how negatively it affects women and
children. “If men spend their earnings on drinks it leaves women scrounging to
make ends meet. And when there are drunks roaming the streets, it prevents girls
and women from stepping out of home to go to school or work. Further,
alcoholism boosts corruption, which is unacceptable,” she explains.
Aside from this, Priyanka has made concerted efforts
to secure basic healthcare, ensure financial stability by organising vocational
trainings for women on mushroom cultivation and pottery, among other
income-generating activities, as well as improve the quality of drinking water
– all of which she has done by holding special gram sabhas. “Boosting
development and eliminating corruption are my priorities. It infuriates me to
see poor villagers being forced to pay bribes just to get access to state
schemes that they are rightfully entitled to,” she adds.
“Priyanka got an opportunity to do all this good work
because of the 73rd constitutional amendment, which mandated 33 per cent
reservation for women in local governance. In most states it is now up to 50
per cent,” remarks Dr George Mathew, Chairman, Institute of Social Sciences.
While there are critics of the reservations policy, Dr Mathew feels that in an
under-developed and unequal society, it is the only way to bring women into
public life. “Sustainable development is only possible if women are involved,”
he says, “They think of building paved roads so that children can go to school,
they think of ways to source drinking water with ease and proper sanitation and
sewage to prevent diseases - all that requires local development. So, in a
sense, reservation has played a critical role in eliminating backwardness.”
Indeed, a lot is left to be accomplished even now, but
local self-governance in India has certainly come a long way.
One look at how Firoza Bibi of Hatkhola village in
West Bengal’s Nadia district has metamorphosed from a token ‘sarpanch’ to
someone who can truly assert her powers is enough to present a clear picture.
She recalls with a smile, how she, a two-time panchayat member and one-time
‘sarpanch’, had started out as a mere proxy for her husband. “I was made to
contest because my husband had held the seat previously and did not want to
lose it,” she says, “He asked me to put in my nomination papers and I complied.
Later, too, I didn't do anything – the campaigning was done by my husband and
the relatives and once I was elected I did not participate in any
decision-making. I was only called when my signatures were needed.”
What changed Firoza’s outlook? “When women approached
me for work under the MGNREGA, to take care of their health issues, or, most of
all, to deal with marital discord and family problems, I would ask them to
speak to the men and they would refuse outright. ‘You are our representative,
you understand our problems, so solve them’, they would say. The
responsibilities of an elected representative dawned on me slowly and I
realised that I had the authority to take decisions on development work,” she
reveals.
Since power is usually addictive, very soon Firoza
started enjoying counselling, delegating work, and planning and disbursing
finances. Not only has Firoza taken to public service but, in the process, an
entire generation of younger girls has been inspired by her. “It’s like killing
two birds with one stone,” she says.
If reservation has given women a voice, it has also
created a competitive environment at the grassroots. Performance has become a
deciding factor during panchayat elections. “Women's mandatory participation
has certainly transformed the governance paradigm and led to a more productive
panchayati raj system. All areas of social life, including human development,
women’s empowerment, gender budgeting, and inclusion of the excluded, have been
impacted positively,” observes Dr Mathew.
As for the elected women, although they can’t stand
for re-election as per existing rules, once empowered they can never go back.
Firoza concludes, “I understand my rights as a citizen, I vote for those who
are competent and then hold them accountable.” And that’s the only way
democracy can deliver development to ordinary people.