(a) whether the Government proposes to assess the impact of increased representation of women
in the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the country; and
(b) if so, the details thereof?
(a) whether the Government proposes to assess the impact of increased representation of women
in the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the country; and
(b) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF PANCHAYATI RAJ(SHRI MANI SHANKAR AIYAR)
(a) & (b): A comprehensive survey of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayati Raj
Institutions has been conducted involving a sample size of ten percent of all the women
representatives in various States/UTs of the country. The scope of the survey includes several
dimensions of representation of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions including the process of
election, the political empowerment of the Elected Women Representatives over three round of
elections (in most States), facts and figures on their re-election especially on reserved seats,
progression of women to higher tiers of Panchayats, the quality of their participation in the
Panchayats and its impact in terms of development activities and service delivery, the status
of Elected Women Representatives within the household, their skill up-gradation, the level of
their confidence, the role of self help groups, women’s organizations and other civil society
organizations in strengthening the participation of Elected Women Representatives, the role of
parallel bodies, e.g., user committees in local governance and their impact on the functioning
of Elected Women Representatives, the success stories etc. The report of this survey is expected
to be available in the last week of April, 2008.