The launch of the 'Panchayat se Parliament 2.0' program by the Central Government has grabbed the public's attention. This program aims to equip 502 tribal elected women representatives with the knowledge of constitutional provisions, governance, parliamentary procedures, and democratic values. These workshops will be conducted by members of parliament (MPs) and experts, including detailed tours of the new parliament house and Rashtrapati Bhavan.

This initiative of the Central Government finds concurrence with the views of Kumkum Hemakumari, a sarpanch from West Godavari[i] district of Andhra Pradesh who emphasized women's education and empowerment in India in the 57th session of the Commission for Population and Development (CPD) held at the United Nations Secretariat. Although these programmes and welfare schemes of the government are well intended, contention arises when we analyze the effectiveness of such schemes and programs as at times, they fall short of promises being made as certain challenges impede the smooth implementation of these schemes especially when we look into the intersection of women and tribal identity.

Political representation of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment[ii] established the Panchayati Raj Institutions as constitutional bodies which acted as positive intervention from the side of the state while Article 243D of the Constitution makes[iii] provision for one third reservations for women including those belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as well is praiseworthy. Reservations for women have been empowering them to a considerable extent as reflected in the success story of Sampitya Uikey from Mandala[iv] who started her leadership career from the Gram Panchayat of Mandala and has been recently elected to the Rajya Sabha.

For the inclusion of women in panchayati raj institutions, there has been an assumption that giving them political representation is a solution but this lack of representation is possibly due to lack of attribution of decision-making power in them as their intellect is often undermined by society and is restricted to merely four walls.

For example, as commonly observed in an Indian household, a woman is given freedom to make trivial decisions related to daily chores, but decision-making power is still vested with their husbands and fathers. This analogy reflects the broader reality of women's political representation and aligns with the findings of the Global Gender Index[v] report 2024, which ranked India 129th out of 146 countries in terms of political empowerment. They continue to face differential treatment, hesitancy regarding speaking up, persistence of the purdah system and much more even in the panchayat space.

Kaushik's survey of women has noticed physical exclusion also being faced by them in the form of different seating places. Many women fears coming to power and being affected by what their elders think about them. Also women are made to contest elections by their husbands after which the power is grabbed by them also being called "Pati Pradhan" or in formal terms "surrogate representation". 

Intersectionality of women and tribal groups

Women's political representation is also deeply affected by the strained relations between the tribal communities with the non-tribal population owing to their differing traditions and cultures. There is an important dimension of participation because women belonging to the scheduled tribes are virtually across all States seen to be singularly disprivileged in forms of approach from members from other communities etc. as has been noticed in Kaushik's study[vi] of Panchayati Raj institution.

These tensions often result in marginalization, limiting opportunities for tribal women to actively participate in governance and decision-making processes. Furthermore, the heterogeneous culture and traditions of tribals have impeded their inter and intra-tribal relations also making them feel alienated from the mainstream society. The representatives at the local level have the duty to understand their society's needs but even after the reserved seats, they are not comfortable in exercising their power and to represent their communities' interests because of this heterogeneity.

Barriers to the implementation of welfare schemes

Every year the government rolls out budget which lays down the allocation of funds for certain schemes, programmes and ministries. Allocation of funds for implementation of the tribal welfare schemes is through diversified channels the states are expected to allocate a certain proportion of their state expenditure inclusive of tribal communities' upliftment, Special Central Assistance (SCA)[vii] for the plan which is an allotment by the Government of India for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes schemes also distributed by the Union under Article 275(1) of the Constitution. Despite the presence of such varied sources of funds, adequate allocation of funds for the implementation of the welfare schemes remains inadequate.

Government schemes are not utilized to their full potential creating gaps in the development as planned. Over the years we have seen a substantial rise in the allocation of funds[viii] in the tribal welfare schemes via the central government but the major problem still continues to be the utilisation of the funds[ix]. Other than this it has been observed that the allocated funds are diverted for purposes other than tribal communities' development. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes had served a notice to the Karnataka government owing to the probable diversion of funds for different purposes[x].

The utilisation of the funds for different purposes will exacerbate the existing differences with no substantial upliftment of the beneficiaries dampening the welfare schemes' objectives. Despite innumerable schemes being brought to action there are many tribal groups who lack essentials to life which is evident in the tribal communities' health status[xi]. To access these schemes their ongoing problems include a lack of access to necessary documents to be able to claim the benefits under schemes being launched.

As pointed out[xii] by a PVTG in Maharashtra they only have their Voter ID cards for identification. Their narrative has been suggestive that the problems are being heard during election times. Which infers that tribal communities' needs are heard and acted upon as per convenience.

According to Hindustan Times, demanding[xiii] bribes and corruption by officials for implementation of the schemes is impeding the benefits of the scheme to reach the end beneficiaries. The bureaucratic red-tapism at various administrative levels impedes the implementation of the schemes. Lack of awareness and means of discovery the tribal communities are forced to take a back seat in the name of implementation. Times of India[xiv] emphasizes that critical gaps on the side of the administration to count on the right number of beneficiaries have resulted in many being left out which will impact the implementation adversely. This curbs their scope of growth and development compelling them to be in the vicious cycle of poverty and exclusion.

Possible solutions
Recently the Supreme Court[xv] condemned deliberate actions brought against women representatives in local bodies by authorities and other members of the panchayat. In a similar case in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court called for protecting women sarpanches and fostering a more conducive environment for their work. To empower more and more women to participate in Panchayati raj institutions, it is necessary to evaluate the number of representatives holding actual powers in their hands, their subjugation and constant questioning from the side of the state and their family has to be stopped.

The concept of 'Pati Pradhan' needs to be eliminated. For this, the government needs to put forward a matrix that lays down the essentials for the fulfilment of the duties of a pradhan. Problems also arise due to the inadequate allocation of funds to the welfare schemes, for which rather than the one-time allocation, there should be a step-by-step issuance of funds i.e. updated allocation so that a shortage of funds does not arise.

This can only be done if there is regular updation in the data of beneficiaries of the schemes and publication of the same. All positions in implementing agencies within scheduled or tribal-majority areas must be occupied, with no vacancies left unfilled. Additionally, the commissions established by the government should not be left inactive. Atal Seva Kendras, are the new phenomenon recently being seen in states like Haryana, they provide e-services to people regarding public policies, welfare schemes, data filing etc. The government must ensure that they are duly opened up in high tribal density areas.

Conclusion
In summary, the government's initiative, Panchayat se Parliament 2.0, is a noteworthy effort to enhance political representation for tribal women. While certain programs have yielded positive outcomes to some extent, challenges persist, including limited authority, insufficient resources, and inadequate fund allocation, all of which demand urgent attention.Fund allocation is also a problem requiring action.

For the progress to be achieved there must be equitable distribution of power, resources and integration to support the tribal communities and uplift them. It is the need of the hour to curb the menace of practices such as "Pati Pradhan" and establish Atal Seva Kendra to achieve the goal of inclusivity and sustainable development to create a just society for all.

End Notes:

1. The New Indian Express, WG Sarpanch presents her idea of women empowerment at the UN, https://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2024/Jun/16/wg-sarpanch-presents-her-idea-of-women-empowerment-at-un
2. Ministry of Home Affairs, https://secforuts.mha.gov.in/
3. Constitution of India, http://constitutionofindia.etal.in/article_243d/
4. Documentation of Success stories of Women Panchayat Representative Of Madhya Pradesh On Women's Leadership Zilla Panchayat - Mandala Teh. Mandala, Dist. Mandala (M.P.), https://nirdpr.org.in/nird_docs/casestudies/shodh/shodh2.pdf
5. WEF Forum – Global Gender Gap Report 2024, https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2024/digest/
6. Women in Panchayati Raj Institutions: A Case Study of Chittorgarh District Council, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0169796X1002600404
7. Ministry of Tribal Affairs- Scheme for tribal development in Gujarat, https://sansad.in/getFile/annex/259/AU2541.pdf?source=pqars
8. Ministry of Tribal Affairs, https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2036245
9. CAG Report Report No. 33 of 2015 - Performance Audit on Tribal Sub-Plan, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Ministry of AYUSH, https://cag.gov.in/en/audit-report/details/15997
10. The Hindu- NCSC notice to Karnataka over 'diversion' of SC/ST sub-plan funds for guarantees, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ncsc-notice-to-karnataka-over-diversion-of-scst-sub-plan-funds-for-guarantees/article68385588.ece
11. National Library of Medicine- Health of tribal populations in India: How long can we afford to neglect?, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6607830/
12. The Indian Express- Except voter ID card, this tribal community has no essential documents to access welfare schemes, https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/tribal-community-has-no-essential-documents-to-access-welfare-schemes-9609340/
13. Hindustan Times- https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/maharashtra-welfare-schemes-victims-of-graft/story-PVwerjjaSv5dI6fyv59FKL.html
14. Times of India- Major chunk of tribal funds fails to reach beneficiaries, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/major-chunk-of-tribal-funds-fails-to-reach-beneficiaries/articleshow/33833574.cms
15. Live Law- Distressing to witness discrimination against women in governance when country aspires to be economic powerhouse: Supreme Court, https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/distressing-to-witness-discrimination-against-women-in-governance-when-country-aspires-to-be-economic-powerhouse-supreme-court-276596?fromIpLogin=888.4287709084449