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Socio-Economic Characteristics of Scheduled Caste Women Representative in PRIs

Author : Dr. Sunita Bahmani and Dr. Manju Goel

Abstract :

Panchayats have been an energetic and strong identity of Indian village since the beginning of available history. Gandhiji, the Father of the Nation, in 1946 had aptly remarked that the Indian independence must begin at the bottom and every village ought to be a republic with Panchayats mannig powers. Gandhi’s dream has been translated into reality with the introduction of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system to ensure people’s participation in rural reconstruction. The present descriptive study was conducted in the State of Haryana. The Researcher had selected a total of 320 women PRI representatives comprising 242 Panches, 53 Sarpanch, 20 Panchayat Samiti members and 5 Zila Parishad members from different levels and were interviewed. The study found that majority of the respondents were Illiterate, ignorant, and secluded in purdah system. They belonged to the low socio-economic group.

Keywords :

Socio-economic status, panchayati raj institution, decision-making