Women Leadership and Panchayat Raj Institutions: A Study in Srirampoor and Chittapur Villages of Nizambaol District, Andhra Pradesh

The focus of this book is on grass root politics and women empowerment with special reference to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in selected study locations of India. At the grass root level, PRIs are supposed to play an important role in the welfare of marginalized sections of society such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women. As an effective tool of public policy for proper implementation of PRIs, the 73rd constitutional amendment act came into force as a revolutionary step towards decentralization of power and governance. The introduction of the Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 marks a new era in India’s democratic set up and provides constitutional status to the PRIs. The present study aims at understanding the nature and impact of women leadership in the midst of traditionally dominant settings of rural leadership in the selected study villages. This book is useful for the planners, funding agencies, academicians, NGO activists, research scholars, students and development professionals working in the areas of rural development, PRIs, governance at grass roots and women empowerment in a broad context of public policy.