1. Name: Smt. Sumita Saha 2. Academic Qualifications: M.A. 3. Designation: Assistant Professor ( Management Post) 4. Department: Political Science 5. Specialization: Indian State and Society 6. Teaching Experience: 3 years at the UG Level, Delivered lectures for 2 years at the PCP of the Post Graduate Class in Political Science Under DDE, North Bengal University. 7. E- mail: [email protected] 8. Area (s) of Interest: Women’s Studies 9. Details of Awards/Honours/fellowships (if any): ▪ Worked as Field Investigator in SAP (UGC) Projects, Department of Political Science, North Bengal University. ▪ Worked as Project Fellow in UGC in a Major Research Project in the Department of Political Science, NBU. ▪ Programme Officer of N.S.S. (Nakshalbari College) ▪ Worked as Project Fellow at the Research Project of the Centre for Development Studies, NBU.

10. Research Area: Empowering of Women in Gram Panchayat Level The concept of empowerment of women is one of the most important social issues in the present century. It is a burning issue not only all over the world but also in India. In the present day society we speak of women empowerment and it has become a burning topic for discussion everywhere. In today's society all of us speak of women empowerment. It has become the cry of the day. Empowerment is the process by which the women achieve increase control and participation in decision making which in turn helps to achieve equal basis which men in various spheres political, economical, social, cultural and civil. It involves the building up of a society wherein women can breathe without the fear of oppression, exploitation, apprehension, discrimination and the general feeling of persecution which goes with being a woman in a traditionally male dominated structure. Gram Panchayat is the most vital part of Panchayati Raj Institutions. Although Panchayats have been in continuation in India since earliest times, they suffered a setback during British rule. Gram Panchayat is the lowest level Panchayati Raj Institutions. It is simply a council of elected village representatives. The elected village representatives elect their leader in the first meeting of the gram panchayat immediately after the election. The Panchayat act was approved in 1956. The union boards gave place to the two- tier structure at the lowest levels: Gram Panchayat and the Anchal Panchayat. The implementation of the act was however phrased. By 1963, just 50 % of the village and sixty percent rural population were enveloped by the Panchayat system. Political participation of women can be viewed as one of the proven strategies for the empowerment of women. Although women’s access to political power has multiplied staggeringly, obscurity square measure ladies capable men in their influence over and exercise of political authority. Women have the proper to participate in political processes that have an effect on them, their families, and their societies. Women’s political participation has been recognized internationally as an important measure of the status of women in any particular country. Hence, in recent years women participation in politics and decision- making has received important attention across the world. However, women remain seriously understand in decision making positions. The central objective of this study is to look at challenges and opportunities of women political participation. 11. Publications (including journals, books, book chapter, conference etc.) Chapter in Books: a) “Women Empowerment: The Cry of the Day” in Jitendra Sahoo - India’s Constitutional Development Since The 1950s: Its Socio- Political and Economic Dimensions. New Delhi: New Academic Publishers, ISBN-97881-86772-80-5, 2015. b) Indo-China Relationship: a Prismatic View” in Mahendra Gaur, (Ed) Studies on China, New Delhi- Paragon International Publishers, ISBN: 978-93-83154-23-4 Vo- 3, 2015. c) “Jawaharlal Nehru And Socialist Movement In India” in Manas Chakrabarty -(Ed) Post Nehruvian Politics in India: Agitations, Assimilations and Consequences. Kolkata, Published by Levant Books, Kolkata, ISBN- 978-93-84106-24-9, 2015. d) “Women Empowerment: An Enquiry Into The Domain” in Basu Jayeeta and Manas Jana-Women Empowerment : Miles to go, Published by Radiance, Kolakata, ISBN- 9789381037423, 2015. e) “Women Empowerment Slogan of The Millennium” in Edited by: Gopal Sharma, Amitabh Roy and Prodip Kumar Roy- Empowering Women in India Social, Economic & Political, Published by Rupali, Kolkata, ISBN: 978-93-81669-89-1, 2015. f) “Human Rights in the Context of Women and Children: An Indian Scenario” Edited by Gopal Sharma and Amrita Kumar Shil, ISBN-978-93-5074-195-5, Aabhijeet Publication, New Delhi, 2015. g) “Indian Judiciary: An agent of Social Change” Edited by Tirthankar Chakraborty and Tabesum Begam- The Barefoot Transformation West Bengal and Beyond Reviewing State Politics in India, Publish by Levant Books,Kolkata, ISBN- 978-93-84106-28-7, 2015. h) . Good Governance Vis A Vis Public Policy : Some Considerations. in C.P. Barthwal (ed) – The Origins of Political Science as a University Level Discipline in India ( Nainital, Ankit Prakashan,2015). Article in Journals a) “Jawaharlal Nehru: His Ideas On Socialism”, South Asia Politics. ( R.N.I. No.: DELENG/2002/6815) New Delhi .Vol. 12, No. 12, April 2014. b) “Women Empowerment at the Grass roots: A study of Jalpaiguri and Districts” Local Government Quarterly A Journal of the All India Institute of Local Self-Government, Vol: LXXXIV, No. 2. New Delhi. ISSN- 0024-5623) April- 2014. c) “Prime Ministers of India: Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Damodardas Modi A Survey of Backgrounds” South Asia Politics. New Delhi. ( R.N.I. No.: DELENG /2002/6815) Vol. 13, No. 2, June 2014. d) “Indo-china relationship: a prismatic view” foreign policy research journal. (ISSN 2277-2464) vol. 3. 2014. e) “Reflections on Shah Bano – A Case of Judicial Activism” Nam Today, New Delhi, ISSN-2347-3193, Vol. XXXXIII, N0. 1, January 2015. f) “India’s Neighbourhood Policy: an Insight Analysis” Foreign Policy Research Journal. (ISSN - 2277-2464) Vol. 1. 2015. g) “Regionalism- A Perennial Problem of India”. Adroitic An International Refereed Quarterly Research Journal (Multi-disciplinary), ISSN – 2349-6274 Vol.1, No.3, 2015. h) “Secretary Generals of the UNO” South Asia Politics. (R.N.I. No. Deleng/2002/6815) Vol. 14, No.4, New Delhi, 2015. i) “India- Bhutan Relations: A Survey”, World Focus. ((ISSN 2230- 8458), U.S. Library Of Congress No. 8091034, August, 2015.

j) “ASEAN – A Move Towards Regionalism”, World Focus. ((ISSN 2230- 8458), U.S. Library Of Congress No. 80910345, New Delhi, September, 2015 k) “Political Empowerment of Women in Panchayati Raj” Vidyawarta International Multilingual Research Journal, Maharashtra, ISSN- 2319 9318, Issue-20. Vol-011, October 2017. l) “Empowerning of Women Through Gram Panchayats In ” Printing Area Multilingual Research Journal, Maharashtra, ISSN- 2394-5303, Issue-36. Vol- 01, December 2017. Paper Presented at Seminar/Conference: a) Presented a paper at the National Seminar on HUMAN RIGHTS at the Department of Political Science, Ch. Charan Singh University. 15 December, 2012. b) Presented a paper at the Seminar on ROLE OF YOUTH AND N.S.S. held under the auspices of N.S.S. North Bengal University. 12-13 March, 2014. c) Presented a paper at the U.G.C. sponsored National Seminar on POST NEHRUVIAN POLITICS IN INDIA : AGITATION,ASSIMILATION AND ASSERTIONS at the Department of Political Science, North Bengal University. 14-15 March, 2014. d) Presented a paper at the U.G.C. sponsored National Seminar on INDIA’S CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT SINCE THE 1950’S: IT’S SOCIO POLITICAL AND DEMOCRATIC DIMENSIONS at the Department of Political Science, Dewan Abdul Gani College, Harirampur. 10-11 September, 2014. e) Presented a paper at the Seminar on DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON WOMEN organized by Siliguri Bodhi Bharati Vocational Institute (sponsored by the National Commission for Women, Govt. of India ).14-15 February, 2015. f) Presented a paper at the U.G.C. sponsored National Seminar on THEORY AND PRACTICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS : THE INDIAN CONTEXT at Sitalkuchi College, 20-21 March, 2015. g) Presented a paper at the International Seminar on PLANET EARTH AND ITS PRESERVATION at .. 25-26 March, 2015. h) Presented a paper at the International Seminar ON NEHRU AND NATION BUILDING IN INDIA. at the Department of Political Science, North Bengal University. 28-29 March, 2015. i) Presented a paper at the National Seminar on ROLE OF NSS IN HIGHER EDUCATION at Tufanganj Mahavidyalaya.. 31 March,2015. j) Presented a paper at the National Seminar on WOMEN EMPOWERMENT : AN ENQUIRY INTO THE DOMAIN at the U.G.C. sponsored National Seminar at Sree Agrasen Mahavidyalaya, Dalkhola, Uttar Dinajpur. August, 28, 2015.