{"id":78880,"date":"2026-07-10T18:06:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T12:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=78880"},"modified":"2026-07-10T18:08:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T12:38:01","slug":"women-led-panchayati-raj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-07-2026\/women-led-panchayati-raj","title":{"rendered":"Women-led Panchayati Raj as a Global Model for Inclusive Grassroots Governance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Polity and Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Under India\u2019s BRICS Chairship 2026,<\/strong> the Ministry of Panchayati Raj showcased the country\u2019s transformative initiatives in empowering women through <strong>democratic decentralisation and strengthening grassroots governance.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Across the country, there are more than 2.5 lakh Panchayats, comprising about 24.04 lakh elected representatives.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Notably, <strong>women constitute approximately 49.75%<\/strong> of these representatives, reflecting a significant shift towards inclusive local governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Panchayati Raj Institutions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957)<\/strong> proposed a <strong>three-tier Panchayati Raj structure.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rajasthan <\/strong>became the<strong> first state to implement it in 1959.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 <\/strong>granted <strong>constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The provisions related to Panchayats are laid down in <strong>Part IX of the Constitution of India.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The system operates through a three-tier structure:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Gram Panchayat (GP): <\/strong>It functions at the village level and is responsible for basic civic administration and local development activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Block Panchayat (BP):<\/strong> It coordinates development plans across multiple villages and ensures better implementation of government schemes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>District Panchayat (DP):<\/strong> It supervises and integrates development activities across blocks and ensures effective planning and resource allocation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Gram Sabha<\/strong> is the <strong>general body of all registered voters in a village<\/strong> and represents the <strong>most direct form of democracy.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is the<strong> only permanent unit in the Panchayati Raj system<\/strong> and is not constituted for a particular period.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The powers and functions of<strong> Gram Sabha are fixed by the state legislature by law.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of Women Participation in PRIs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Diverse Perspectives: <\/strong>Women bring unique experiences and viewpoints that contribute to more comprehensive decision-making, leading to better solutions and innovation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Role Models:<\/strong> Increased visibility of women in leadership roles inspires younger generations and helps challenge stereotypes about gender roles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Equity and Justice: <\/strong>Fair representation promotes gender equality, ensuring that women&#8217;s voices and needs are considered in policymaking and organizational decisions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Balanced Policies: <\/strong>Women\u2019s involvement in governance can lead to policies that address issues specifically affecting women and families.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Growth:<\/strong> Empowering women and ensuring their representation can significantly contribute to economic development, as it expands the talent pool and encourages inclusive growth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural Change:<\/strong> Increasing women&#8217;s representation can challenge societal norms and promote a culture of equality, benefiting society as a whole.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges Faced by Women while working in Powerful Positions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Gender Bias: <\/strong>Despite progress, many women encounter stereotypes that question their competence and leadership abilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Work-Life Balance: <\/strong>Balancing professional responsibilities with traditional family roles can be particularly demanding, often leading to burnout.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Harassment and Discrimination:<\/strong> Workplace harassment remains a significant issue, creating hostile environments that discourage women from asserting themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural Expectations: <\/strong>Societal norms impose additional pressures on women, such as expectations to conform to traditional roles, which conflict with career ambitions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Initiatives for Women Empowerment in PRIs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Constitution 73rd and 74th Amendment Acts, mandated the reservation of <strong>one-third of seats for women<\/strong> in Panchayati Raj institutions and offices of the chairperson at all levels of Panchayati Raj institutions, and in urban local bodies respectively.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Out of the total 1\/3rd seats reserved for women,<strong> 33% had to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One-third of the seats of office-bearers and chairpersons at all levels had to be reserved for women as well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>106th Constitutional Amendment:<\/strong> It reserves one-third of all seats for women in Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, including those reserved for SCs and STs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayat (MWFGP):<\/strong> It is an institutional initiative aimed at strengthening women\u2019s leadership in local governance.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It focuses on building inclusive and gender-sensitive Panchayats that ensure women\u2019s participation along with safety, rights, and empowerment at the grassroots level.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthening the Capacity of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs): <\/strong>It is launched to enhance leadership, communication, and decision-making skills of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs). The focus is on practical and interactive learning for real governance situations.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As part of this effort, the Ministry has launched a Special Training Module aimed at strengthening the leadership, communication, and negotiation skills of Women Elected Representatives (WERs).\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a perennial issue to promote higher representation for women who constitute half the population in all countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Women\u2019s representation is essential for creating equitable, just, and progressive societies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2282512&amp;reg=48&amp;lang=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Under India\u2019s BRICS Chairship 2026, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj showcased the country\u2019s transformative initiatives in empowering women through democratic decentralisation and strengthening grassroots governance. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Across the country, there are more than 2.5 lakh Panchayats, comprising about 24.04 lakh elected representatives.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Notably, women constitute approximately 49.75% of these representatives, reflecting a significant shift towards inclusive local governance. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-07-2026\/women-led-panchayati-raj \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78880"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78883,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78880\/revisions\/78883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}