| THE EMERGING ROLE AND PLACE OF WOMEN AND WEAKER SECTIONS IN PANCHAYAT RAJ SYSTEM IN KARNATAKA, INDIA. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PANCHAYATI RAJ (LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS) AND WOMEN AND WEAKER SECTIONS. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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" THE EMERGING ROLE AND PLACE OF WOMEN AND WEAKER SECTIONS IN THE PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS IN KARNATAKA" INTRODUCTION The existence of Panchayat Raj System can be traced back to the very early period of settled life in India. The self-sufficient and self-reliant village republlics were the common phenomena even before the ascendancy of the Mauryans in the horizon of Indian political life. Panchayat system continued to exist in one or the other form at all the stages of the history of the country. The Panchayat system prevalent at present in the country is merely the creation of the late ninteenth century British rule, rather than the legcy of the India's long tradition . After the independence the Article 40 of the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Indian constitution, gave the responsibility of organising Village Panchayats. Some of the states passed laws to this effect and organised village Panchayats. Karnataka State is one such state which opted for the three tier panchayat system. Realising that the system failed to be truly participatory and could not succeed in taking development to the ddorsteps of the needy and the underprivileged rural masses, the Janata Party Government which came in to power in the year 1983, passed a new act , reshaping the whole scheme of Decentralisation in the state. The Karnataka Zilla Parishad, Taluk Panchayat Samithis, Mandal Panchayats and Nyaya Panchayats Act, 1983, was passed and is being implemented. The policy of democratic decentralisation recognises the critical role of peaples institutions in promoting development at the village level. In recent days there has been much disccussion all over the country, regarding giving Panchayat system constitutional protection by making it mandatory on the part of the states to establish uniform system of Panchayats, various aspects of the new move, the type of institutional framework to be given to Panchayats, their powers and responsibilities, the sources of income and the form of representation to be given to the various sections of society, are seriously being debated upon. Government of India has constituted a committee to look into all these aspects of decentralisation. The committee is supposed to come out with concrete ideas so that it can bring in necessary amendment to the constitution. Present model of decentralisation in Karnataka and the emerging model in the country are said to give due attention to the development of the women and weaker sections by keeping certain percentage of representation reserved to them. Constitution of India has made provision for the advancement of socially and educationally backward classes of people. Looking at the criteria of backwardness, the social and educational backwardness - as envisaged by the constitution, Scheduled caste, Scheduled Tribe and Women belonged to that broad spectrum of backward class. Women constitute, more or less, half of the total population. The peole belonging to other weaker sections are also numerically in a good position. Despite there numerical strenth, women and weaker sections have not been allowed to play their due part in the power politics of the state, nor they have been able to eat the fruits of development. Castes or classes , which are numerically a minority but are up in the social ladder , have been dominating the scene, taking advatage of the money and muscle power at their disposal. They are the traditional controllers of authority and the developmental resources. Women are the most backward, as such the weakest of all , as they are to play the second fiddle socially and economically , educationally and culturally, compared to their male brethern . This tone of the women , whether they belong to the high castes or the lower castes , since the time immemorial , the discrimination; social, economic, educational, political and cultural; the women and weaker sections have been facing, is successful in creating the two separate worlds based on in-equality. The hopes of achieving an egalitarian society, it is obvious , is a failure. The weaker sections and women, inspite of best efforts of the Government and the voluntary organisations, have remained out of the mainstream. Earlier attempts at involving them actively in the process of determining the programmes of development have ever remained as a wish. Present system of Panchayats in Karnataka and the emerging model in the whole country, are said to give due attention to the involvement of weaker sections and women in their own advancement. This, it is said, is achieved by making a statutory provision for substantial representation to these sections in the Panchayat bodies at all stages. Is believed that such a measure would help them assert their rights and privileges and move up in the ladder towards equal opportunities and life standards. SCOPE OF THE STUDY With these things in view, the scope for conducting a research study, on the emerging role of and the benefits accruing to the women and weaker sections, due to the statutory provisions given to them in Karnataka, is significantly synoptic. This particular study assumes added importance, in the context of the introduction of a powerful decentralisation system. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY Panchayat Raj system, as a subbject of study belongs to various dsciplines. It provides ample scope for research. This researcher, intends to find out the emerging role and its consequent influence on the development of the women and weaker sections. The objectives of the study are to assess: a) The emerging role and place of women and weaker sections in the present dispensation of democratic decentralisation with reference to their relative position in the - 1.Local political mileu, and 2.the relationship between their formal and public functions. b) The women and weaker sections level of awarenes of the existing system of democratic decentralisation. c) The political awareness burgeoning out of the statutory representation provided for women and weaker sections. d) Relative advantages arising out of the induced participation of women and weaker sections in the process of decision making and planning for development, and e) The utilisation and the impact of the development programmes meant for women and weaker sections which are said to be channelised through the Panchayats. IT IS A BRIEF ON DOCTORAL THESIS. INFORMATION ON RELATED TOPICS AND SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE IT MORE MEANINGFUL AND INFORMATIVE ARE MOST WELCOME. 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