THEME: Tribal women are gradually becoming integrated into village organizations.
There are degrees of organization among villages. Villages closer to a highway or town and that have a higher level of ongoing economic development are likely to have a greater number of organizations than villages that are more remote. Such villages are also likely to have a higher proportion of non-tribes, and a greater mixture of different kinds of tribes. The dominant tribe will also influence the extent of organization in a village. Gram Sabha (Village Council) Traditionally, even among more egalitarian tribal communities, women have not taken part in the gram sabha, but this is slowly changing. The gram sabha is the traditional community organization and the supreme decision-making body, presided over by the elders. Every caste group is represented on it. Normally it is unregistered. Villagers see it as their organization. The more isolated the village from government programmes, the more important the gram sabha is in organizing community development action. The study notes that the gram sabha should always be consulted and involved in any village-level decision-making. The Panchayat Women are coming to have a more visible role in the panchayat. Villagers regard the panchayat as the official 'agency of the government' that mediates government instructions and works. The study notes that the panchayat is an ideal organization for undertaking infrastructure development on behalf of the Government, but should not be viewed as representing village wishes and ideas. Thirty-three per cent of the panchayati raj is reserved for women, resulting in five to seven women members. The president, or panch, of the panchayat is elected from among the tribals, with the vice-president occasionally elected from non-tribals. On occasion, women compete with men for the panch, and do get elected. There are panchayat presidency posts expressly reserved for women, but the study found that even in those panchayats, the women seemed to be acting only as figureheads or official contact persons. In fact, it is the traditional male leaders or husbands who conduct the affairs of the panchayat. The women presidents whom the researchers met were completely marginalized and did not even know the number of existing members in their panchayats. In one case, the female president was conveniently deaf and dumb. Generally, the study found that women consider the panchayat and the gram sabha to be male dominated, and to not adequately consider their point of view. Mahilla Sangatan (women's organizations) The traditional Mahilla Sangatan are self-formed women's associations. They can be registered or unregistered. Their original role is singing gaura, or marriage songs, and they may meet once a fortnight or so to practise. However, these days some Mahilla Sangatan are beginning to represent women's concerns at the village level, such as men's drinking. The study notes that the dynamism and power of women's organizations are highly dependent on strong women leaders. In at least a few cases, such traditional women's associations are taking on income-generating programmes. In one instance, they applied for and received funds from the block office and started manufacturing various goods from forest products. In that case, a literacy volunteer had been a key facilitator. Locally Originating Women's Action Groups In addition to the preceding, some villages also have other, often temporary, women's groups, which are never registered. These are usually set up by the women themselves in response to their common concerns over a given social or economic problem. Examples of such groups are those motivated by local schoolteachers or forest guards to fight for causes such as the scarcity of drinking water or roads. Women's Development Groups Because women's development groups are established by outsiders, they may not have the same level of motivation as locally originating ones. Government agencies and NGOs have established various women's groups in many villages around development initiatives. The most common are women's groups for savings and credit and income-generating schemes. Occasionally, groups are also formed around social issues. Usually, but not always, these are informal and unregistered associations, though they may become formal legal entities over time. The women's groups that have grown out of the Watershed Development Committees of the Rajiv Gandhi Watershed Mission are an example. In this case, women are encouraged to undertake income-generating activities, open separate bank accounts and register their organizations. Tribal women are becoming more active in village institutions and organizations, which gives them a greater say in social and economic matters. However, development projects need to be aware that, as in the case of some of the panchayats, the real power may still reside with the men. Adapted from: Vettivel, Surendra Kumar. 1997. India: Madhya Pradesh Tribal Development Project - Participatory Development Framework, Community Institution Building, Indigenous Social Structure, Women's Participation, Role of NGOs. Rome: IFAD, June. |
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A
1997 IFAD report focuses on a number of social issues in the poor
tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh in India. The study area comprises
villages and hamlets. The panchayat, or village governing body,
is located in the main village, or gaon, which is an independent
unit of social organization. Normally villages comprise 70-90% tribal
and 10-30% non-tribal households. The institutional framework of
these villages is often complex. In the past, the villages were
entirely male dominated. But, increasingly women are becoming involved
in the important village-level organizations of the gram sabha and
the panchayat, as well as in less important mixed-gender and women-only
organizations.