Thus spoke the press Thus spoke the press volume 8 Select articles on elected womenSelect Articles on leaders in village panchayats Elected Women Leaders in Village Panchayats Volume 8 Compiled and Edited by: Sriparna G Chaudhuri Published by: The Hunger Project Shaheed Bhawan 18/1 Aruna Asaf Ali Marg Qutab Institutional Area New Delhi 110067 Ph: 011 41688847 – 50 Year of Publication: 2013 ISBN No: 978 - 81 - 904086 - 0 - 8 (Set) 978 - 81 - 904086 - 9 - 1 (Vol. 8) Contribution Price: Rs. 150/- We do not claim any copyright. Any part of this publication may be reproduced with due credit to the authors and The Hunger Project. If we all can persevere, if we can in every land and office look beyond our own shores and ambitions, then surely the age will dawn in which the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved. – John F. Kennedy in his Address to the United Nations General Assembly (1961). FOrewOrd This is the twentieth year of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment (1993), which formally mandated 33 per cent reservations for women in local government. The idea of women’s reservations in Panchayats was first mooted and put into action by Ramkrishna Hegde, then chief minister of Karnataka, in 1985. In the years that followed, there were many who were not only sceptic about women’s capabilities to function as leaders but also wondered if they would actually take up the challenge of standing for elections and address the concerns of their communities. Proving the cynics wrong, more than 4 million women over the last 20 years have come on board and been constitutionally elected from across 2,38,054 Gram Panchayats in India. Twenty years is a long time. While political and economic reforms may have increased the pace of development in India, it is the elected women representatives in Panchayats who are ensuring the last mile delivery. Redefining development, they are struggling against a patriarchal social order to strengthen the democratic processes, build an equal and equitable society through inclusion, respond and resolve women’s issues and enhance women’s status in society. For the last seven years, The Hunger Project has published Thus Spoke the Press, a compilation of select articles from all over India on elected women leaders in Panchayats. The success and achievements of over 1.3 million elected women in Gram Panchayats is a narrative that regularly informs us of the changes that are sweeping through rural India. At the same time, it records the evolution and political maturing of the elected women representative. From being a reluctant representative she has become a respected leader today. To mark this journey of two decades, The Hunger Project supported Women’s Feature Service, an agency mandated to visibilize gender in media coverage by generating women centric stories, to commission a special series of features entitled ‘20 Years of Empowerment: Women and Panchayati Raj in India’. These pieces trace the evolution of women’s representation in Panchayati Raj over the last two decades and present best practices on the ground. The Hunger Project is proud to present the eighth volume of Thus Spoke The Press. This volume comprises 44 select articles out of a total of 1925 submitted for the Sarojini Naidu Prize. It also carries an additional 20 articles from The Hunger Project-WFS series. While this publication is certain to prove a source of information on the subject, we hope you will also enjoy reading it. New Delhi The Hunger Project October 2013 CONTENTS Introduction 1. Education And Village Development Along 1 With The Challenges Lakshmi Lal Balai, TarunDesh 2. Women’s Empowerment Diversing Mofussils 10 R. Samban, Yojana Monthly Magazine 3. Achieving Success Step by Step 20 Naina J A, Deccan Herald 4. Half of The Population Launches Full Claims 23 Shirish Khare, Tehelka Magazine 5. From Strength To Strength 29 Anitha Pailoor, Deccan Herald 6. Markanja Gram Panchayat: Development under 34 The Leadership Of Women Harish Motukana, Vijayavani 7. Tribal Rani Helps Transform Villages 39 Pramila Krishnan, Deccan Chronicle 8. Dorothiya Engaged In Advocating 41 For Self-Reliance Vishnu Rajgarhiya, Panchayatnama, Ranchi 9. Empowering Women in A Big Way 45 Afsana Rashid, The Kashmir Images 10. Woman President Empowers 60 This Madurai Panchayat V. Devanathan, Sunday Times 11. Women Lead the Way in Villages 62 Garima Prasher, The Times of India 12. The Up-Sarpanch Engaged 64 In Realizing The Dreams Lakshmi Lal Balai, TarunDesh 13. The Guardian Angels Of The Panchayats 70 Rudra Ranjan Sejpada, Sambad 14. Annapurna of Her Ward 74 Binodini Roul, Khabar 15. Sworn To Public Service - Santoshi 77 Jagdish Naik, Khabar 16. Intervention by Teji Hastens Development 80 Rajnish Anand, Panchayatnama, Ranchi 17. Self-Employment Opportunity for 50 Women 84 S. Muruganantham, Dinakaran 18. RamkoBai Becomes Synonymous 87 To Development Vijaya Pathak, Akhand Doot Bhopal 19. A Clean Village In A Drought Affected District 90 R. Jeyalakshmi, Dinakaran Vasantham 20. The Panchayat President Who Struggles 94 For Re-Admission of Children Into School J. Mariappan, Dinathanthi 21. Harmony Begins In Panchayat Office 97 Pramila Krishnan, Deccan Chronicle 22. I Have Come, Just To Serve the People 99 A.P. Muthukumar, Makkal Velicham 23. Successful Women Changing the 101 Face Of The Village Amitabh Pandey, Dainik Yalgar Times 24. Loss Of Power Did Not Stop The Struggle 105 Dinesh Patwardhan, Jana Mithra 25. Dream of a Clean Village 109 N. KaranthParaje, Udayavani 26. Sudha Mohan, Who Beautified Lives of 114 People in Ammadi Village Nalina D, Suvarna Times of Karnataka 27. Women Panchayat Representatives 119 Are Proving Themselves Better Than Their Male Counterparts Khasti Bisht, Uttar Ujala 28. Netramma – A Model for Village Development 123 D. Nalina, Suvarna Times of Karnataka 29. Yarlapadi: A Small Village with 128 Huge Achievements Suresh D. Halli, Hosadigantha 30. Gram Panchayat Member Who Strives For 136 Comprehensive Village Development Hosur Venkata Rao, Janasakshi 31. Power to Bring About Change 142 K. Narasimhamurthy, Deccan Herald 32. Women’s Panchayat 145 Bharati Hegde, VijayaVani 33. Stewardship of A School Educated Girl 151 Mithuna Kodethur, HosaDigantha 34. Trash to Treasure, Kadaba GP Shows The Way 154 Naina J A, Deccan Herald 35. Puppet of The Powerful Turns Against Them 158 Ruby Sarkar, Shukrwar Magazine 36. Fundi Bai Creates Awareness 162 Regarding Education Vijaya Pathak, Prakhar News Express 37. Tenka GP Chief Shows the Way 166 Manjushree G. Naik, Deccan Herald 38. Removed Encroachment from 169 Cremation Ground Mahesh Bhawre, NavduniyaHarda 39. Home Maker Turned GP Chief 173 Transforms Markanja Naina J A, Deccan Herald 40. Lalita Verma Became Synonymous 177 With Women Power Basant Pandey, BageshwarKiAawaz 41. Panchayat Prez Goes Eco Friendly 180 Pramila Krishnan, Deccan Chronicle 42. Kamla Devi - A Symbol of Efficient Leadership 182 Babulal Naga, Ujala Chhari 43. Recognition For Women’s Struggle: 188 Stopping the Sale of Liquor in Eight Villages Dinesh Patwardhan, Jana Mithra 44. The Framework of Jamuna Bai 193 Redefines Development Vijaya Pathak, Nav Bharat Bhopal FROM THE HUNGER PROJECT – WOMEN’S FEATURE SERVICE SERIES 1. Green Shoots of Power: Twenty Years of 199 Panchayati Women George Mathew 2. Block Level Worker To MLA: Hill Women Wrest 204 Control Of Local Government Nitin Jugran Bahuguna 3. After 30 Years, Jharkhand Gets A Taste 209 Of Woman Power Saadia Azim 4. Secure The Lives of Kashmir’s Panchayat 214 Leaders Sana Altaf 5. Manipuri Hill Women Leaders Root 219 For Rights, Empowerment Ninglun Hanghal 6. Discarding Veils, Embracing Change: 224 Rajasthan’s Extraordinary Sarpanches Abha Sharma 7. Kultikiri Panchayat’s 20 Year Thumbs 229 Up To Woman Power Saadia Azim 8. For Tripura’s Tribal Women Leaders 234 People Come First Ninglun Hanghal 9. People Savvy, Tech Savvy: Different Faces 239 of Panchayat Women Abha Sharma 10. Health To The Beat Of Drums, 244 The Panchayat Way Swapna Majumdar 11. Can The Local Panchayat Help 250 Malappuram’s Tortured Young Brides? Shwetha E. George 12. J&K Needs To Empower Panchayat Women: 255 Zaitoon Begum Tells You Why Ashutosh Sharma 13. In Tribal Malkangiri, Women Leaders 261 Take On Hunger Sarada Lahangir 14. ‘Let Girls Be Born’: Panchayats Mantra in UP 266 Swapna Majumdar 15. Women Sarpanches Who Keep 272 A Sharp Eye On Girls’ Education Rakesh Kumar 16. Panchayat Strategies: Political Heroines 278 Make Change Happen Bula Devi 17. Kerala’s Kudumbasree: Women 283 Power For Local Development Shwetha E. George 18. How DongriaKondh Women Exercised 289 Their Democratic Rights Sarada Lahangir 19. Andhra’s Grassroots Women Get A 294 Shot At Power Usha Turaga-Revelli 20. Women In Charge, Karnataka’s 299 Quiet Revolution Pushpa Achanta Acknowledgements 304 IntrOductiON JamunaBai1 is an extremely poor woman who had to face tremendous problems throughout her life; she could not go to school as her family was extremely poor; when she married, her husband abandoned her. As a single mother, she brought up her three children doing a coolie’s job. Living on the margins of society, Jamuna never dreamt of exercising her citizenship. Or her leadership! But in 2010, she became the Sarpanch of Meerakabad Panchayat, Mungawali, Madhya Pradesh and was able to change the face of all three villages in her Panchayat. For most women in rural India, the passing of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Bill has been a turning point in history. Reserving 33 per cent seats for women in PRIs, it has provided an opportunity for women to be a part of the political decision making process, an opportunity to influence change, a status in the public domain which was hitherto denied, and a sense of self-worth that comes when you are a part of the nation building process.