A Note on the State Level Convention of EWRs
held at Hyderabad on April 3rd 2005

Following the passage of the 73rd and 74th amendments to our Constitution in 1993, one-third of the total number of elected representatives at all levels in our local governments are comprised of women. The past decade-and-a-half had witnessed the election of enthusiastic and competent women to village, mandal, district and municipal level offices in Andhra Pradesh. However, these elected women representatives (EWRs) have been consistently rating their own performances to be considerably below expectations. There are two key reasons: (i) the EWRs are relatively inexperienced in governance and administration and face low levels of capacity and confidence, both feeding on the other and (ii) in AP, the local governments themselves are not adequately empowered vis-à-vis funds, functions and functionaries so the leaders find it extremely challenging to fulfill their mandated duties.

To remedy this situation, Lok Satta, with active support and guidance from the Singamma Sreenivasan Foundation (SSF, based in Bangalore), has been leading an effort towards building the capacity and confidence of EWRs in Andhra Pradesh. This effort also forms a key part of the broader movement towards the empowerment of local governments in the state. Formal federation of EWRs in several districts has been carried out as a part of this exercise, over the past three years.

April 3rd 2005, witnessed the culmination of the amalgamating phase of the effort when nearly 400 current and former EWRs from across the state convened at the Jeevan Jyothi Center in Hyderabad to form the AP State Federation of EWRs in Local Governments. These EWRs represented village panchayats, mandal parishads, zilla parishads as well as municipalities. The participants were from diverse social groups - including dalits and backward classes, religions, and were spread across the age spectrum of 18 and 75 years. This meeting gained wide coverage in the state's print and electronic media for the unambiguous and strong message its participants sent to the state establishment on the need for immediate devolution of powers to the local governments and for providing the elected women with equal opportunities. The EWRs confidently asserted themselves and even put one of the main guests, JC Diwakar Reddy (State Minister for Panchayati Raj) on the mat when he in his address had questioned if local governments were 'capable enough' to handle the full and immediate devolution of the mandated powers.

The EWRs almost immediately, unequivocally and unanimously raised the point that it would be fallacious for the state minister to question the performance/ability of the local elected representatives even as local governments are being denied their constitutionally mandated powers. Every single EWR, including those from the remotest villages and mandals, expressed tremendous confidence delivering good governance to their constituents - provided the local governments are adequately empowered with necessary funds, powers and officials.

VS Ramadevi (former Governor of Karnataka) was the chief guest on April 3 and she, with hundreds of EWRs participating enthusiastically, lighted the ceremonial lamp and inaugurated this first-of-its-kind, state-level Convention. The prominent speakers at this Convention included S. Ramachandra Reddy (former MP, Rajya Sabha), Dr. Tulasi Reddy (former Zilla Parishad Chairperson of Cuddapah and former MP, Rajya Sabha), Sunita Patil (Medak ZP Chairperson), Sudha (Sarpanch of Mahaboobabad, Warangal District), Lakshmi Parthasarathy (IAS), P. Venkatrama Reddy (President, Sarpanches Association of AP), Jayasree (Gandhigram Institute, SSF's partner organization in Tamil Nadu), Nagamani Murthy (Member, EWR Federation of Karnataka) and a few other EWRs from AP.

(VS Ramadevi, former Governor of Karnataka was the Chief Guest is seen here addressing the EWR Convention)

Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan chaired the proceedings of this Convention while key leaders and resource persons from Lok Satta including S. Manorama (state resource person for this project), DVVS Varma (State Campaign Coordinator, Lok Satta), Bhandari Ankaiah (General Secretary, Lok Satta) and Santi Reddy (project resource person, Lok Satta) had addressed and guided different sessions.

In her address to the EWRs present at the venue, VS Ramadevi traced the history of the 73rd/74th amendments and narrated how serious challenges to this progressive step arose even from the national-level male political leaders. She also commented that women have brought a sense of balance, propriety and fair play in the conduct and nature of elections and politics at the local levels. She then reminded the EWRs that they have been elected only to ensure better public service. Finally, Ramadevi concluded by urging the EWRs present to carry this empowerment movement to its logical conclusion. Dr. JP too in his speech reminded the EWRs that their empowerment is only a means for the delivery of better governance and administration in the villages, towns and cities of AP. He expressed his unfailing confidence in the ability of women to run their own homes and families along with their villages, mandals and districts - and do all this better than men! Simultaneously, he cautioned the EWRs against repeating the mistakes that men did after getting elected to public offices.

(EWR Participants at the Federation Convention at Jeevan Jyothi, Hyderabad on April 3rd).

The April 3rd Convention was preceded by and is being followed by series of training programs, capacity-building workshops and field level activities involving the EWRs, Lok Satta and SSF.