Photo: Š MPRLP/Sandeep Khanwalkar
Success Stories 3 January 2011
Women in the Gram Sabhas The Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project An ally in eliminating poverty in India
Photo: © MPRLP/Sandeep Khanwalkar
Women's voices strengthen the Gram Sabhas At one of the regular Gram Sabha meetings in Bardwara, Mandla District, it was proposed that Mamta Dhumketi, a woman in her late twenties, take the chair. The proposal was unanimously accepted. Unremarkable? Not in Bardwara, where it was an event of great significance because women in this remote tribal area rarely attend meetings, let alone take the lead. Generally, men dominate the Gram Sabhas, even though the Indian Constitution gives men and women an equal voice. But increasingly, Mamta finds she is not alone. Many women were at the meeting where she was voted into the chair, and more and more women in the villages of Mandla District are raising issues that concern them in Gram Sabha meetings. Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project (MPRLP) is encouraging this change, supporting Government efforts to strengthen the Gram Sabhas by increasing the participation of women and their influence on village development.
Encouraging women to participate in the Gram Sabhas When women fail to attend Gram Sabha meetings, their interests are ignored or sidelined. Yet women make up almost half those eligible to take part in Gram Sabhas, so it's important to help them participate actively because then the Gram Sabhas will function more effectively. MPRLP works with Gram Sabhas to help them become more democratic and participatory _ more women-friendly. At the same
Photo: © MPRLP/AM Faruqui
What is the Gram Sabha and what are its key roles? The Gram Sabha (village council) is the basic unit of decentralised government in rural India. Every village has a Gram Sabha and every registered voter can take part. All have equal rights, irrespective of caste, class and gender. The Gram Sabha is democratic and non-discriminatory and has been vested by the Indian Constitution with the power to make decisions about village development. Gram Sabha meetings are held at least once a quarter to discuss village needs, consider proposals and make plans. The Gram Sabha also reviews the performance of government and development programmes, such as MPRLP, and of service providers, such as teachers and health workers. Significantly, in a move to strengthen Gram Sabhas, the Indian Government declared October 2009 to October 2010 the Year of the Gram Sabha.
time, MPRLP encourages women to attend meetings, to make their voices heard and to influence decisions.
Overcoming challenges One of the major challenges MPRLP addresses is the cultural barrier against the participation of women in village affairs. Village society in Mandla District is traditionally male-dominated. It is the men who make decisions, particularly in public meetings; for women, it's taboo. Women also have little time for village affairs, either because they are busy running their households or because they take on other work to boost the household income, or often both. As Haru Bai, a woman from Andia village explained, it was mainly the men who went to meetings as they had “more time”. Another challenge is that village women are not aware of the importance of the Gram Sabha and do not know that they have the right to participate in meetings.
Making it easier for women to participate in the Gram Sabhas
Things are changing in the Gram Sabhas as more women take an active part.
One of MPRLP's key thrusts is to work closely with local government bodies to implement a new provision that allows Gram Sabha meetings to be held in each village. Previously, Gram Sabha meetings took place in district council headquarters some
Photo: © MPRLP/Sandeep Khanwalkar
distance away, but more meetings are now being held in the villages. This is an important step forward as it means women don't have to leave their daily tasks and their villages to attend meetings. Photo: © MPRLP/AM Faruqui
MPRLP's Livelihood Promoters and Project Facilitation Teams make sure they tell women when and where Gram Sabha meetings will take place. Until they were encouraged by MPRLP, most women in the villages weren't fully aware of the role of the Gram Sabha and had not been to any meetings. They used to depend entirely on their men folk to hear about what happened at Gram Sabha meetings, but the men rarely told them. Now, just by being there, women get lots of useful information that can help them improve their lives and their families' lives. Chatarvati Bai from Bardwara village said it was only through MPRLP that she became aware of the Gram Sabha and what it did. ”Hume nafa hai,” she said (we benefit [from attending the Gram Sabha meeting]).
Photo: © MPRLP/AM Faruqui
As an elected Sarpanch, this Baliwada woman encourages women to attend Gram Sabha meetings.
In the village of Madanpur, women made up almost half those present at a Gram Sabha meeting. While waiting for the meeting to start, the women agreed among themselves to repeat their request for street lights and to raise an issue about school meals.
Advantages of women's participation in the Gram Sabhas Community benefit Not only do they have a chance to improve their lives and contribute to village development, but women also improve the quality and effectiveness of Gram Sabhas' decision-making. Empowerment By raising issues and voicing concerns, women have gained the confidence to speak out in public. Becoming better informed Getting to know about new government schemes _ for education, health and employment and for women, the elderly and children _ women press village councils to take advantage of the schemes. Raising social issues Women raise issues of social importance and relevance to the community, whereas men primarily concern themselves with individual benefits. Spreading information Women pass on information and decisions to other women in the village who aren't able to attend. Benefits for children Women raise issues concerning children, such as nutrition, health and education, that were not discussed before.
Women strengthen the Gram Sabhas MPRLP has found that women taking part in Gram Sabha meetings usually look beyond narrow personal interests and raise issues that are important for the development of the village as a whole. In contrast, male-dominated meetings tend to discuss government schemes that benefit individuals. As more and more women participate, issues relating to women and children that were previously ignored are being addressed. Women are also more concerned to call local government service providers and elected representatives to account.
Sumrat Bai now has enough confidence to raise the issue of school meal payments due to her self-help group at the Gram Sabha meeting.
Photo: © MPRLP/AM Faruqui
MPRLP's work with the Gram Sabhas involves providing learningby-doing opportunities for managing village development _ actively involving women in all it does. An important aspect of the work is routing funds through the Gram Kosh (village funds). At the Gram Sabha meetings, villagers discuss and decide on how to use the funds, ranging from identifying which poor families should receive help to allocating grants and loans. Women make a big difference in these discussions. Another aspect of MPRLP's work with the Gram Sabhas is introducing new concepts and technologies, such as solar lighting and biogas plants. Such activities not only reach those most in need, but also strengthen the skills of village development committees as they learn to implement their chosen developments.
Women raise neglected issues A long-standing need in Bardwara was for community bathrooms for women. The idea was receiving little attention in the Gram Sabha, but after the women of the village raised the issue, the bathrooms were built. The women also pushed the Gram Sabha to concrete the village road to make it passable in the rains. Other issues they raised successfully were the performance of the school teacher and the school midday-meal scheme. Previously ignored, school meals are now a routine item on the Gram Sabha agenda. Photo: Š MPRLP/AM Faruqui
Photo: Š MPRLP/AM Faruqui
Women and young girls in Bardwara can now bathe in relative privacy and dignity in the newly built bathrooms.
By attending the Gram Sabha meeting, Kamla learned how to get support to start a business and boost her family's income.
Taking part in the Gram Sabhas changes women One of the important changes brought about when women attend Gram Sabha meetings is that they become more vocal about issues that concern them. They gain confidence and work to get their concerns addressed.
Similarly, in the village of Madanpur, women have persistently raised the issue of street lights to make the village safer. They haven't succeeded in getting the Gram Sabha to agree to it yet, but they aren't giving up. They also took up the case of a child who dropped out of school. The Gram Sabha took up the case with the authorities, and now the boy is back in the classroom.
The way ahead A Gram Sabha working to its full potential can be a potent force for change, giving a voice to traditionally powerless groups such as women, tribal communities and dalits. Such change inevitably threatens powerful groups and individuals with vested interests, but MPRLP can overcome resistance by continuing to help women work through the Gram Sabhas to raise issues and concerns relevant to them, their families and their villages.
Contact Telephone: +91-(0)755-2766812, 814, 815 Fax: +91-(0)755-2766818 E-mail: mprlp@mprlp.in Website: www.mprlp.in
Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project MPRLP is a Government of Madhya Pradesh initiative funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). This publication does not necessarily represent the views of the Department for International Development.