Decentralisation, Governance and Women Empowerment

Decentralisation essentially refers to the division of governance power. The Indian federal system allocates power at two levels. However, the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments formally shaped the grassroots democracy in the Indian governance structure. It is important for democratic decentralisation that democracy be understood as a wide participatory process in which ordinary citizens actively participate in decisions that impact their lives, their communities, and their places of employment. It demands that citizens be empowered and involved in the provision of local government services. The people are the centre of democracy. The people's participation gives the government legitimacy. Despite making up a sizable portion of the population in every nation, women's political participation and representation fall well short of ideal. India took a significant step toward altering the institutional framework of governance with the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution. This paper analysed women's empowerment through the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI). The paper traces the origins of women’s participation and their role in the freedom struggle. Gandhian ideas of grassroots democracy are very relevant in the context of women’s empowerment in the rural areas of India. The study also evaluates the changing pattern of governance through PRIs and its impact on women's political participation. Democracy requires validation in the form of people’s participation and their volunteer acceptance of authority. Theoretically, women form fifty per cent of the population. Therefore, assessing their empowerment and involvement in the formal governance system is important. The paper especially examines the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments and their results on the governance of rural areas.