caste struggle: Indian Democracy

Women's Bill will impact caste struggle, say experts

2010-03-10

New Delhi: By encouraging women's participation in politics, the historic bill to reserve 33 percent of seats for them in Parliament and the legislatures will impact the country's political scenario, the patriarchal system and the caste struggle in rural India, experts say. Bibhu Mahapatra, consultant of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project on Legal Empowerment, said: "The 73rd constitutional amendment, passed in 1992, gave constitutional recognition to local self governance and reserved 33 percent seats in panchayats for women. This encouraged lakhs of women to enter public life by giving more opportunities to them."