High Representation of Women Councillors in India

Source: This post on High Representation of Women Councillors in India has been created based on the article “T.N. has highest number of women councillors: report “ published in The Hindu on 20th November 2024.

Why in news?

Recently, a road map on urban transformation in India was released.

Findings of the report

Nearly 46% of councillors in India are women. In 19 out of 21 capital cities with active urban local bodies, including Patna, Shimla, Ranchi, and Bhubaneswar, women’s representation exceeds 60%.

Top States for Women Councillors:  Tamil Nadu leads with the highest number of women councillors. Other states in the top 10 include Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh.

Policy Support for Women’s Representation: 17 States have implemented legislation mandating 50% women’s quota in local bodies. This is an increase over the constitutional minimum of 33%.

Pathways for Urban Transformation

The report “Road Map for India’s Citysystems Reforms” outlines three key strategies for urban transformation:

1. Place-Based Governance: It advocates for reimagining urban governance to focus on regions, local economies, and self-government institutions rather than just schemes and funding.

2. Decentralised Participatory Governance: It emphasizes strengthening local governments and encouraging citizen participation.

3. Building State Capacities: It recommends restructuring the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and State Urban Departments as Ministries or Departments for regional economies and local governments.

4. The report highlights the need for a rural-urban transition policy to manage urbanisation in rapidly urbanising villages. It notes that approximately 1,000 villages have transitioned to cities since Census 2011.

Strengthening Local Governance: It stresses the need to amend and effectively implement this amendment to empower local governments. It also aims to enhance citizen participation in governance and ensure robust local self-government systems.

UPSC Syllabus: Polity and nation