Geeta Mahanand, the sarpanch of Risama panchayat in Chhattisgarh’s Durg, said she would have never come forward to contest the rural polls had there been no reservation for women in the Panchayati raj system. A housewife who was thrust into politics after the seat was reserved for women, Mahanand said reservation not just empowered her to make decisions but also boosted her confidence to do more for the society.

In the three decades since reservation of seats for women in panchayati raj institutions was introduced, the country saw women dismantling gender barriers to take the lead in the political field at the grassroots level and excel in it.

In 1992, the P V Narasimha Rao government passed the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts mandating the reservation of one-third of seats for women in Panchayati Raj institutions. Over three decades later, the 128th Constitution amendment bill, referred to as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, is seen as yet another significant stride towards achieving gender equity in politics.

After becoming sarpanch, Mahanand took proactive steps to improve cleanliness in her panchayat.

”We received a grant of Rs 20 lakh for our cleanliness efforts. We paid special attention to cleanliness in all institutions. We constructed toilets and employed women under the Swachh Bharat initiative, paying them from the panchayat fund. We also levied a cleanliness tax.” Initially, she faced some resistance as people were sceptical about the new initiatives. ”There were initial disagreements. However, eventually they came around. We worked with children to convince elders and they now talk about the importance of proper waste disposal. We are currently in the process of getting a library constructed,” Mahanand said.