Shimla: Panchayats in Himachal Pradesh, where women voters outnumber men in every election, have been fair to women much before the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Parliament.
Over a decade-and-a-half now, the state government has reserved 50 per cent seats for women in all Panchayati Raj institutions — up from the village-level third tier of governance — except for the post of ‘up-pradhan’ which is open.
The result: Women, apart from contesting the 50 per cent seats reserved for them, are giving a tough fight to men in panchayats not reserved for them. The women’s power has prevailed against the sale of liquor, tobacco, cigarettes and gambling too.
On an average, close to 60 per cent of seats are occupied by the women in grassroots politics, officials told IANS.
The state assembly passed the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill on April 8, 2008, leading to an increase in the reservation limit for women in panchayati raj institutions to 50 percent from 33 percent.
The Bill, introduced by the then BJP government led by Prem Kumar Dhumal, was passed unanimously, but Congress MLA Kuldeep Pathania, who is now the Speaker of the legislative assembly, had to face the ire of women legislators, including Renu Chaddha and Urmil Thakur, who termed him anti-women.
Adopting a strategically important tool to mobilise women, Mahila Gram Sabhas are being organised twice a year to exclusively discuss issues relating to women, children and issues concerning overall development in panchayats.
The state has 3,195 panchayats, 75 panchayat samitis and 11 zila parishads.
Elections are held for around 27,000 seats and 50 percent reservation means almost half of the seats would be occupied by women only, an election official told IANS.
Each panchayat has one post each of ‘pradhan’ or president and ‘up-pradhan’ or vice-president and five to 21 posts of ‘panch’ or ward members, depending upon the population of the panchayat. Only the post of ‘up-pradhan’ is not reserved.
As many as 3,195 panchayat presidents and vice-presidents, 19,159 panch, 1,651 block samiti members and 240 zila parishad members are elected once in five years.
Besides reservation for women, there is also a provision of 15 percent reservation each for the Other Backward Classes and the Scheduled Castes. In both the cases, there is also a quota within the quota for women.
The women-led panchayat of Bandraul in Kullu district is an example of the ‘pink revolution’.
With a population of 2,500, the panchayat is a hub of women weavers of Kullu shawls — a symbol of feminist empowerment and a source of rural prosperity.
Its head Nirmala Thakur told IANS that they try their best to solve their problems on time.
“We inform the weavers about the sources of their income and benefits,” she said.
Apart from 40 women weavers, self-help groups in the panchayat are making woollen caps, mufflers, socks and gloves, which they are marketing across the country.
Joint Secretary Panchayats Niraj Chandla believes, “As the participation of women is increased in the panchayati raj institutions, their role and responsibility has also increased accordingly and we get to see progressive panchayats because of women participation.”
In the 2010 panchayati raj elections, the first with reserved 50 percent seats for women, a remote Kamru village in Kalpa block of Kinnaur districtset an example by unanimously electing an all-women panchayat.
At that time the panchayat had 1,100 voters — mostly tribals.
Interestingly, the Cheuni panchayat in Seraj assembly constituency, the remotest in Mandi district with a population of over 1,600, took the lead in 2017 in passing a resolution banning cigarettes, liquor and playing cards in its jurisdiction.
Taking a cue, at least 15 nearby panchayats have also passed such resolutions.
So is the women’s clamour against liquor that also grows louder.
Women’s brigades across the state, especially in the rural areas, have been demanding the closure or shifting of liquor vends, mainly from residential localities.
In Shimla, Kullu, Sirmaur, Kangra, Hamirpur and Mandi districts, the protests by the women against the liquor shops have been common.
–IANS