Reservation for women in local bodies is one subject in which other states have beaten Kerala hollow, Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer said on Saturday.
KOCHI: Reservation for women in local bodies is one subject in which other states have beaten Kerala hollow, Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer said on Saturday.
"Despite leading the nation in literacy and other development indices, Kerala provides only 33 per cent reservation to women in local bodies even as Bihar has put in place 50 per cent quotas," Aiyar said in his inaugural address at a Mahila Sakthi Abihiyan Sammelan.
While a small state like Sikkim provides 40 per cent reservation to women, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand provides 50 per cent reservation each, the Minister said, adding women in Kerala must demand 50 per cent reservation.
Aiyar said he supported Kerala Local Self-Government Department Minister Paloli Muhammed Kutty's plea to step up the amount of assistance for training women elected members.
The state government and KILA (Kerala Institute of Local Administration) must prepare a detailed report and submit it to the government, he said, adding women from other states should also be trained at KILA.
There are plans to connect panchayats in the country if the Union government sanctions Rs 8,000 crore in three years' time, he said.
"If this project becomes a reality, every village panchayat in the country would be connected. This facility can be used for simultaneous training of panchayat members," the Minister said.
He asked women panchayat members to press the Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram to release the funds to enable e-governance at the national level.
Aiyar said "this political and social empowerment of women" has been the biggest achievment of India after Independence.
The National Commission of Women will organise a rally of women elected members at Delhi in October or November and efforts should be made to ensure that a maximum number of India's 12 lakh elected women members in the local bodies participate, he said.
Paloli, KILA Director Prof. N Ramakantan, Sebastian Paul, MP, Dr Mridul Eappen, Member, State Planning Board and P S Shylam, President, District Panchayat, Ernakulam, were among those who spoke.
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