Impose ‘exemplary penalties’ to curb practice of ‘sarpanch patis’ in PRIs, suggests panel

NEW DELHI: To curb the practice of proxy participation of husbands and other male relatives often referred to as “Sarpanch patis”, “Mukhiya Patis” and “Pradhan Patis” in place of elected women ‘pradhans’ in gram panchayats, an advisory committee set up by the ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has suggested that “exemplary penalties” should be enforced for proven cases of

proxy leadership

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The committee has also suggested a robust reporting mechanism through helplines and womens watchdog committees for confidential complaints about proxy leadership, with whistleblower rewards in verified cases.
The report on “Transforming Women’s Representation and Roles in Panchayati Raj Systems and Institutions: Eliminating Efforts for Proxy Participation” submitted to the secretary of the ministry has also suggested a detailed roadmap on the way forward with interventions ranging from behavioural change through capacity-building and mentorship, and establishing a monitoring framework from the grassroots to the top.
The advisory committee was set-up by the ministry in September 2023 following the Supreme Court’s order of July on the issue. Besides research of available literature and extensive consultations with the state govts, the report is based on interactions of four intensive regional workshops involving 14 States.

Secretary MoPR, Vivek Bharadwaj told TOI that they are developing an action plan which will be discussed and shared with states for consultation and execution. “To begin with we will be launching a capacity building programme exclusively for elected women representatives next week which will be looking at leadership and its challenges from the women’s perspective to equip them better to execute their roles,” Bharadwaj said.
On the suggestion for penalties and punishments in cases of proxy leadership, he said that they are considering setting up a committee of secretaries of states going forward to study and decide how legal measures can be standardised and executed on the ground to create deterrence.
The 73rd Constitutional (Amendment) Act 1992 mandates one-third reservation of seats for women in the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). However, 21 States and 2 UTs have expanded this Constitutional provision and extended reservation for women to the extent of 50% in the PRIs. In nearly 2.63 lakh panchayats — out of the 32.29 lakh elected representatives approximately 15.03 lakh (around 47%) are women.
Some of the key policy interventions and structural reforms suggested by the committee include creating gender-exclusive quotas in some Panchayat subject committees and ward-level committees on the lines of Kerala; appointing women’s ombuds-persons and federation of women Panchayat leaders. The report also calls for institutionalising gender-responsive budgets in Panchayat meetings.
The report also calls for leveraging technology to combat the problem by adopting interventions like virtual reality (VR) simulation training; integrating AI-powered query-driven replies to provide real-time legal and governance guidance to women elected representatives in vernacular languages.
For stepping up monitoring, it is recommended that WhatsApp Groups of women representatives could be created and linked with officials of Panchayats and Block Officials to help solve the day-to-day problems. Also the MoPR’s Panchayat Nirnay Portal can serve as a platform for citizens to track elected Pradhans’ participation in meetings and decisions for public accountability and discouraging proxy leadership.
The committee has also recommended direct mentorship of elected women pradhans by the MLAs and MP and dedicated women-only monitoring councils at district and block levels, comprising experienced women ERs and retired officials.