Behind the Veil: Dalit Women in Panchayati Raj

Contents: Foreword. Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Methodology. 3. Status of women. 4. Institutionalising Panchayati Raj in India. 5. Evolution of Panchayats in Haryana. 6. Women's participation and empowerment in Panchayats. 7. Schedule Caste women and Panchayati Raj. 8. How active are Schedule Caste women in Panchayati Raj Institutions? Perception of the people. 9. How active are Schedule Caste women in Panchayati Raj Institutions: perception of the officials. 10. Summary and conclusion. Annexes. Bibliography.

"The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reflect widespread international acknowledgement that empowerment of women and the achievement of gender equality are matters of human rights and social justice. Today gender disparity and empowerment have come to occupy the centre stage of development debate. Since, independence a number of legislative enactments have helped alleviate the status of women in India but still a lot remains to be achieved. The place and status of women in decision making apparatus needs to be evaluated and empowerment strategies formulated.

The enactment of 73 Amendment Act was a major step towards women's empowerment. The problem of participatory management of welfare schemes can be solved only when the marginalised section of the society come to play a major role in decision making.

The Scheduled Castes in general and the Scheduled Castes women in particular, continue to lead a life of misery and deprivation. Even though seats have been reserved in favour of SCs women but very little has changed at the ground level.

This book is an outcome of a study conducted in Haryana and focuses on the status and participation of Scheduled Castes women in decision making institutions at the local level i.e. Panchayati Raj Institutions. A Number of factors have been identified which help in understanding the problems in a proper perspective. The case-studies, which form part of the book, have made this book very valuable. In short this book helps in understanding the various issues at stake due to which the Scheduled Castes women continue to remain out of decision making institutions at the local level. This book is useful to policy planners, administrators, researchers and students of decentralized governance and gender justice." (jacket)