http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Women+set+to+control+local+bodies&artid=fZYhvgxK89g=&SectionID=7GUA38txp3s=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=zkvyRoWGpmWSxZV2TGM5XQ==&SEO=
Women set to control local bodies Arun First Published : 26 Mar 2010 03:48:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 26 Mar 2010 09:09:27 AM IST CHIEF Minister BS Yeddyurappa has announced in his budget speech that his government would give 50 per cent reservation to women in all local bodies. However, this will not come into effect in the Gram Panchayat elections to be held sometime in May this year because the Act has to be amended suitably to increase the women reservation quota. Presently women have 33 per cent reservation in local bodies. But going by the reality that quota for the fairer sex is more than 40 per cent, women will get more than 50 per cent of seats once the proposed amendment comes into effect. Out of 3,708 members from 176 taluk panchayats, 1,519 are women, which is 41 per cent. Out of 91,402 members in 5,650 GPs, 39,318 are women (43 per cent). Taking each category, the women’s percentage is SC-46, ST-65, BCM (A)-44, BCM (B)-18 and unreserved 38. Women have always got a share more than what they have been allotted by law. In any local body, the seats are reserved for SC and ST category based on the ratio of population of these two categories. But each local body must have at least one seat reserved for each of these two categories. One third of the total seats in a local body must be reserved for backward communities. Of these seats, 80 per cent must be reserved for BCM (A) category and 20 per cent for BCM (B) category. Remaining seats are unreserved. There is an inherent provision for women's reservation to go up above the normal allocation of 33 per cent. One third of the seats in each of these categories shall be reserved for women. If there is only one seat in SC/ST category both seats go to women. Backward communities (both A and B groups) shall be taken together to decide the women quota. If one third of the total allocation in a category makes a fraction, then the nearest next digit should be taken as the quota for women. I will explain. In Kolar TP, total number of seats is 23. So, 33 per cent comes to 8, but it has 10 women members. Depending on the population, SC has 7 seats and ST 1 seat. Out of 7 for the SC, 3 seats and the only ST seat are given to women category. One third of the total seats is 8. Out of this BCM (A) gets 6 and BCM (B) gets 2 seats as per 80:20 ratio. Of these, women will have 2 and 1 seat respectively. The unreserved seats are 7 and 3, and come under woman quota. So the total comes to 10. Once women get 50 per cent quota, the tally will go anywhere between 60 to 70 per cent. In local bodies, cooperative societies and SHGs, women have proved to be better administrators than men. But how do most men react to this? Here is a harrowing experience of a woman GP member. Hanagere is a village in Shimoga district. In the second term of the body that was elected in 2001, the president’s post was reserved for SC (Woman). The only woman in the GP was naturally elected. Male chauvinists were so wary of being ruled by a woman, that they brought her down from the post after moving no-confidence motion and made the vice-president belonging to BCM as the ad hoc president. But for the ruling of the HC, this ad hoc system would have become permanent. The SC woman was reinstated and completed her term. [email protected] ------------------------------------ ---- INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [email protected], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to [email protected] TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to [email protected] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
