Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) were introduced in India through an Amendment to the Constitution of India, in 1992. This Act provides reservation of not less than one third of seats for women, to engage women in the process of building a participatory democracy. The literature survey and field study have revealed that, in our county Customary Panchayats at the village levels continue to co-exist with Formal Panchayats with elected representatives who are enjoined with the responsibility of local governance, welfare and development. The Author was curious about the role of women in these Customary Panchayats. Because it is also found that, these Customary Panchayats not only involve in dispute/conflict resolution, as is generally understood, but also perform a significant role in local governance and in taking decisions pertaining to development. This paper attempts to shed some light on role of women in these customary institutions.
Women, Customary Panchayats, Local Governance, Panchayat Raj Institution
