Agenda for Action

Reserved seats. Panchayats and people’s organisations must ensure that representatives serving in seats reserved for women, as well as for scheduled castes and tribes, are actively supported in attending meetings and engaging in panchayat activities.

Training. All panchayat members must gain access to the training they need to carry out their responsibilities in all key areas, including panchayat finance, nutrition and health, family planning, sanitation, education and economic development.

Gender sensitisation. Male panchayat members and government officials must have the opportunity, through workshops and training programmes, to appreciate and become more sensitive to the importance of women’s leadership and the challenges women face.

Leadership training. Leadership training and ongoing support must be available for the development of the leadership skills women need and want — the ability to create a vision, to speak and listen powerfully, to build constituencies and to make things happen.

Literacy training. Women panchayat leaders who cannot read when they are elected (as many as 50 per cent in some states) must have access to literacy training.

Networking. Women representatives must have the opportunity to share experiences, learn lessons, and build structures of mutual support that enable them to experience themselves as part of a state, national and international network of women travelling the same path.

Elections. Ensure that panchayat elections are held every five years.

Devolution of authority and responsibility. Establish legislation at the state level that effectively transfers all 29 areas of responsibility to the panchayats, particularly those related to women (see page x).

Transfer of resources. Ensure that adequate finances are allocated to panchayats to carry out their work, and are delivered for use in a timely manner, without undue restriction or delay.

Political will. Government leaders at the national and state levels must express leadership and act consistently in support of panchayati raj and devolution of power to the local level.

Bureaucratic support. Officers at the national, state and district administration levels must work actively with panchayats, facilitating their access to resources and removing obstacles to their progress.

Access to information. Rural people — and particularly women — must gain access to all information about the responsibilities and entitlements of panchayats. All relevant legislation, regulations and budget documents must be readily available and translated into local languages, along with straightforward information on the many government programmes to which the rural poor are entitled.

Judicial activism. The judicial system must provide prompt and firm support for the full implementation of panchayati raj.

Avoidance of parallel structures. Government ministries must channel decentralisation strategies through the panchayats rather than creating alternative or parallel structures.

Alliance building. NGOs, women’s groups and other civil society organisations must form vibrant and active networks and alliances dedicated to advocacy and co-ordinated, strategic action for panchayati raj and women’s leadership in the panchayats.

Public awareness. These alliances must create a climate of awareness and support for panchayati raj throughout all sectors of society.

Communication and information flow. The alliances must facilitate effective and open communication between the government and panchayats to ensure that information about available resources, programmes and initiatives are available and fully understood.

A national and international spotlight. The alliances must keep the efforts of the panchayats and women representatives visible and present on the state, national and international agendas.

Education and political awareness. Media must provide thorough and ongoing coverage of the historic process of building local democracy, with particular emphasis on the rarely told story of women’s successes as panchayat leaders.

Accountability. Through its ongoing scrutiny and reporting, the media need to keep a spotlight on the actions of government officials in the implementation of panchayati raj.