In Panchayats, women need to stop men ruling by proxy

On April 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the contribution of women in the functioning of Panchayats across the country. His remarks were made at a function in New Delhi to mark National Panchayati Raj Day. The PM touched upon one of the most sensitive topics that have been governing Panchayats ever since women were given quota to be part of the village governing body, thereby ending the rule of men and giving equal rights to their counterparts.

Modi called for ending the practice of “husbands of female Sarpanches”, also known as "Sarpanch Pati”, who exercise undue influence in the functioning of the village body. After women’s quota in Panchayats came into existence, men still continued to rule by proxy and made all decisions required to be done by women Panchs.

Considering this fact, women empowerment is by far lacking and changes need to be made in the entire set up. The primary thing that can be done is to apprise and educate women about the rights they have and how they can exercise them without any hindrance from anybody — even their husbands — with full support and cooperation of the law, the lawmakers and the law enforcers.

While the government makes all the policies regarding uplifting of women, it does not have the required manpower and means to check whether they are being enforced. This is where non-government organisations like JND Charitable Trust step in. The Trust is making it a point to apprise women and educate them about their rights, how they can exercise them and become independent decision makers, not just in their families but for the community at large.

We at JND Charitable Trust believe that it is women who shape the future generations as children spend most of their time interacting with their mothers. The level of education, the decision making capacity of women is what will influence children the most. If the children are taught, educated, and moulded by well-educated and empowered women, the future of the country will be in safer hands. If a woman is weak, then the household suffers in the future.

Just like the Prime Minister said, let us all take a pledge that if any woman in our family, or the community is given the chance to take up a governing post, then we will all support her and make sure that she is not influenced by anyone onto making bad decisions that could have an adverse impact on the community and the country at large.

Did You Know!

The Department of School Education & Literacy has a Centrally Sponsored National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme, under which scholarships are given to meritorious students of economically weaker sections to stop dropout rates in Class VIII and encourage them to continue studying at the secondary stage. One lakh scholarships are awarded to selected students of Class IX every year and their continuation/renewal in classes X to XII. Students whose parental income from all sources is not more than Rs 1,50,000 per annum are eligible to avail the scholarships.

There is also a Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students given by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of HRD. The aim of the Scheme is to provide financial assistance to meritorious students from low income families to meet a part of their day-to-day expenses while pursuing higher studies. The parental income should not exceed Rs 6 lakh per annum. The Scheme caters to both ‘General’ and ‘Reserved’ categories.

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) gives Scholarships for Girls under the PRAGATI scheme. There are 4,000 scholarships available per annum for the girl child admitted in AICTE approved institutions / programmes /courses of Diploma and Undergraduate Degree level. Only one girl child per family whose parental income is less than Rs 6 lakh per annum can avail the scholarship.

AICTE also provides scholarship for Differently-abled Students. Eligible differently-abled students having parental income of less than Rs 6 lakhs per annum and who are already admitted to technical programs/courses in AICTE approved Institutions during 2014-15 are eligible under the scheme.

Support children’s development financially, help in welfare of their families

By the year 2020, India is going to become the youngest country in the world. Currently, going by the latest age demography in the country, over 28.5 per cent of the population comprises children aged below 14 years of age. And many of them fall in the lower income bracket wherein they are unable to receive quality education due to paucity of funds. This is a direct result of their parents not being able to earn enough to sustain large families.

Due to the above-mentioned problems, it is important that charity organizations like JND Charitable Trust come out with a plan so that such families can be helped financially. Educating children from economically weaker sections of the society will not only result in getting them a good education, but it will also give the country a well-educated and professional workforce. After all, it is not good for a country to be just labour-oriented as machines are fast replacing manual workloads.

It is with this in mind that JND Charitable Trust is looking forward to generate charities for children from individuals, firms, companies and other philanthropic organizations.

Funds generated through the efforts of the Trust will not only help in uplifting of the poor, but will also help in health and family welfare measures. A well-educated workforce should also be healthy so that they are able to give a good output for development of the economy. Good health is directly related to what people from the lower income category consume. Charities from anyone concerned can help give such children and families a healthy diet so that they are not susceptible to health problems. If the workforce is well-educated and lacking on the health front, it will result in loss of numerous man hours and, thus, end in lower productivity.

A healthy diet is associated with also getting the right nutrients, and these can come in the form of a protein-rich diet and pills and medicines for those who are not physically strong. The right kind of food is necessary for not just health but also family welfare. The health of future generations is largely dependent on healthy parents.

The government is making efforts to make sure that the population leads a healthy lifestyle. But due to various constraints, it is not possible for officials to reach every nook and cranny of the country to cater to the masses. This is where organizations like JND Charitable Trust step in to boost the efforts undertaken by the government with the help of private funding.

So, give charities for children so that not only does health and family welfare get a boost, but the entire county prospers.