DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2019.v07i03.005

Pages: 144-146

Mahatma Gandhi would have insisted upon women’s equal participation and devolution of power to the institutions of local Self-Governance and the Village Panchayat. The Panchayat Raj Act provides for people’s active participation in the local administration by granting them power to question and by requesting their participation in planning for development of their villages. Great thinkers predict that in the twenty first century, great importance will be given to women and spiritualism. Though women from historical days had played a dominant role in every aspect of human life in India, not much has been highlighted and stressed. They still remain a neglected segment of the society in India. The reservation of 33% under the Panchayati-raj Administration is a great milestone in the women’s movement in India. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) of the Indian Constitution is considered as a breakthrough towards ensuring equal access and increased participation in political power structure for women.