UN WOMEN and the Government of Karnataka Sign an Agreement to Empower Elected Women Representatives

Bengaluru - The Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department, Government of Karnataka and UN Women will now work together to empower elected women representatives in local governments in Karnataka.

Signing a Project Cooperation Agreement in Bengaluru, Dr Amita Prasad, Prinicipal Secretary, Department of Panchayati Raj, Government of Karnataka highlighted the importance of elected women representatives in the state. “As a frontline state for decentralisation, Karnataka has devolved all 29 functions to the panchayats since 2001. It has also empowered women by interventions such as Haku Patra that mandate the recording of land rights in the name of women,” said Dr Prasad.

In the districts of Dharwad and Mysore, the programme will be implemented by the Abdul Nazir Sab State Institute for Rural Development in Mysore, and district officers of the joint programme.

“It is clear that the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Indian Constitution have created Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies, and helped build a vibrant women’s movement at the grassroots level. With 33 percent reservation for women, more than a million women have come forward to become leaders in each round of election. We now need to have a supportive legal framework, and lower the threat of violence against women in politics,” said Sushma Kapoor, Regional Programme Director, a.i, UN Women.

Last year, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India and UN Women signed a Memorandum of Understanding to assist women leaders in gram sabhas and strengthen their capacity. In the states of Orissa, Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, UN Women and the Government of India also encourage them to become more vocal leaders in Panchayats and assert themselves on issues such as physical violence and local budgets.