My article " Women in Governance " is published as a cover story in March issue of the Economic Digest of Maharashtra Economic Development Council
here is the text
WOMEN IN GOVERNANCE
The role of women in Indian Governance has become a matter of study only recently. About ten years back I had undertaken to compile small biographical sketches of at least some women IAS Officers, who came in service upto 1970, but could not proceed beyond Anna Malhotra, Pratima Trivedi and Nirmala Buch. Later, I found some short articles in Marathi, pen-sketching a few women IAS from Maharashtra. One study was tried by the Lal Bahadur Shastri. National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie. But none has been persuaded with seriousness it deserves, and none has aimed at a meaningful compilation.
On this backdrop, I was quite pleasantly surprised one day when someone said to me “you women officers, who came in the governance in initial years do not know what yeoman service you have done and for what large number of girls you have been role models." The person was Mr. Jayant Salgaonkar, well known in Maharashtra as an astrologer and publisher of almanac – based calenders and hence presumably an orthodox or conservative personality.
When we talk of women in governance, we cannot restrict ourselves only to the IAS Officers alone, yet undoubtedly they have a major role in the whole theme.
Speaking of India, we have seen women in governance at different levels in different categories. First comes those who played the leader role, such as Indian Gandhi, the Prime Minister, Pratibha Patil – the President of India and a handful of those others who were Chief Ministers of States such as Nandini Satpathi and Sheila Dixit or Governors such as Fatima Bibi. By and large, they have played their leader's role well. In comparison many more women politicians who have served as ministers either in centre, or in the States, have not shown their enterprise or leadership so well – they have not left much of a mark for their ideas or vision or work style or creativity in the departments which they handled as their portfolio. They are not much remembered for their scholarlines or as strategist or as a thinker.
Women in IAS do stand out as a class. Right after the independence, we discontinued the recruitment in Indian Civil Service – that was London – based and meant for 'British Raj'. But Sardar Patel had recognized the importance of the civil services and a robust bureaucracy which could be like a supporting backbone for running the country's Administration. He set up a systematized recruitment channel to Indian Administrative Service right from 1948 itself. And thanks to the participation of a large number of women leaders in the freedom struggle, nothing was considered untoward when in 1949, the first lady IAS namely Anna Kurien (now known as Anna Malhotra) got selected. The trend of having one or two lady officers in subsequent batches continued till 1970 and most of them were Delhi based. The news of this opportunity for women did not reach other parts of the country so early.
Anna was allotted the Tamil Nadu cadre. When initial one year district training was over, she was promptly posted at the secretariat in Madras while other male colleagues were given charge of a sub-division to work as Assistant Collector-cum-SDM. When Anna took up the issue with the then Chief Minister, Chakravarti Rajgopalachari, he turned out to be one orthodox Tamilian and refused to grant that she could handle Law and Order or Stategic Management. Finally, only at the intervention of Delhi and because of her perseverance, she was posted as SDM. What might have happened if she had not fought so well! As many as 30 years passed after her battle, when women IAS officers of Maharashtra had once again to agitate for getting posted as C.E.O. or Collector in a district and 60 years have passed but a women officer is still not considered fit for becoming Chief Secretary, though 3 years back, two got posted as Home Secretary in succession. By now almost every state has seen a women Collector but only 4 have seen a woman Chief Secretary – Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Although, women officers of Indian Foreign Service have held highly strategic posts such as Ambassador to the USA, none from IAS has yet become Cabinet Secretary and none from IFS as India's Secretary Foreign Affairs.
Looking at women Collectors most of them have carried out this job in such a way that they have been remembered for excellent handing of the districts – thus reconfirming that C. Rajgopalachari or other patriarchs of his type need not have feared when Anna was first posted as SDM.
With a pinch of salt it has to be admitted that some women IAS officers have not lagged behind in corruption – two officers who will always be talked about in this regard are Neera Yadav - Ex Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh and Tinu Joshi of Madhya Pradesh. Yet I find that one of their important characteristic is that their husbands were equally high ranking government officers, and whatever corruption they practised was in company of their husbands.
Although the number of women officers in IAS and IFS increased substantially during and after seventies, they still constitute only about fifteen percent of the service.
Coming to Uniformed forces, dealing with internal and external security, an important visible presence of women officers is found in the IPS (Indian Police Service) but not so much in Army. It is unfortunate that women had to fight legal and mental battles to get into these services. But it is through such battles that we could get the inspiring biography of Kiran Bedi-the first lady IPS Officer or the stories of first batch of Naval lieutenants or forest officers or fire brigade officers and so on. The battles are not yet over. It must be said from the experience of these officers that they needed lesser strength and courage to fight criminals and enemies but more mental strength to fight the attitude of their male colleagues who always saw capable women officers as a bigger challenge than capable male officers or smart enemies.
But if the public were to be the judge of the quality of governance and toughness and fairness provided by the women police officers, then ask any lady employee of the subordinate services and her instant reaction is that she feels protected by presence of lady officer in IPS however remote may be her posting. Public of Satara still remember the time when they had Vandana Krishna as Collector and Meera Borwankar as SP and even the Superintendent of district jail at Satara was a lady, and the public perception is that the trio was in no way less competent than any all- male-trio at any time. The per centage of women IPS Officers is still only around ten and needs to increase to a more respectable level.
Another category of a large number of very high ranking women officers is that of other All India Services such as Customs, Railways, Post, Telecommunication, Defence Estate, Defence Accounts, Audit & Accounts, Revenue Service and so on. These officers usually do not have much of public presence and they remain behind the desk. Their presence is about 30-40 percent in these jobs and they have proved equal to their male counterparts in all aspects. Though lacking in visibility, they have still provided high level motivation to youngsters to come in these services.
A very important category would be the Judges in the Supreme Courts and the High Courts. Here again we find a big gap in Supreme Court after Sujata Manohar. The number at the High Courts is also very small. I can recall only women judges in the Supreme Court so far Sujata Manohar, Fatima Bebi and Ranjana Desai as the Judges of Supreme Court and Leela Seth the Chief Justice of High Court. No lady Advocate has become the Solicitor General of India or Advocate General in any State. Similarly, a very few women Advocates have ever been the Presidents of Bar Association. This aspect is important because of a rising number of cases of atrocity against women. Although, I have nevel held that only female judges can appreciate the gravity of atrocity against women, it can be seen at times that the required sensitivity and attitude does not come to male judges as a matter of course but has to be cultivated by them consciously. This is where the women judges make a difference.
After 1985 and particularly after the 79th Constitutional Amendment which allowed 30% reservation of seats at the level of local self government, two important results have taken place. First was to give a similar reservation to women in many subordinate government cadres. This has paved way for recruitment of large number of women in the traditional as well as non-traditional areas. We can now see women employees in such organization as Police Constable, P.S.I, Fire Brigade, Naval Officers, Airplane Pilots, Railway Engine Drivers, Bus Conductors etc. Apart from those is banking, education animal husbandary, agriculture etc. Another effect is seen in the large scale presence of women at political level in the local self- government institutions such as Gram Panchayat Surpanch, Zilla Parishad President, Municipal Corporators and Mehyors in Municipal Corporations. The latest news in this regard which in my opinion must be celebrated as a welcome news is that several housewives have been elected to the Bombay Municipal Corporation. This is a big leap which would provide them a direct opportunity of participation in Governance. Even after their retirement, their political participation as a watch-dog for our democracy would continue. In Indian traditions where 60 to 70% of our women population are still playing the role of housewife and, therefore, by popular perception, not having great insight about the working of Government, this role-switching from housewife to a policy-maker of the largest Municipal Corporation is the most effective way to enlist and ensure the participation of a larger number of women- folk in the protection of our democratic polity.
The presence of women in governance can in last 65 years, therefore, be seen as a step-by-step happening. The initial large scale participation of women folk in our pre-independence struggle had demonstrated that women of India were capable of jumping from the role of a housewife to the role of a political fighter. This spirit went out after independence and we saw the sharp decline of women in political institutions. However, the pre-independence awakening as well as the relevant educational reforms paved way for women to take up such careers which took them to the higher levels of economic freedom and economic participation in country's. This career-oriented role was most prominent in government services but gradually career women also captured Private Sectors and Entrepreneurial challenges. It was felt that their role in political life could be only a sequel to their economic career. This would necessarily limit the number of women in political field. However, the recent BMC Elections would once again start the trend of housewives going straight into political career without any intermediate stage of econonic emancipation. This creates a good possibility of getting many more women-folk into the affairs of governance. I look differently at a fisher-woman getting elected to corporation from a housewife getting elected. For the fisher-women has tasted an economic freedom, but not the housewife. Hence, I consider this result as more fascination and promising.
In this regard it must be pointed out that initially when the participation of women in local self-government was facilitated, a situation was often witnessed where the women would prefer to be accompanied by their husbands for going to the Gram Panchayat's or municiple meeting. This was often quoted as the justification to demand that women should be relegated back into their role as housewife. I personally do not subscribe to this view. In my opinion even if any women today needs to be supported by her male relatives for taking a political decision in a political institution, it is only the initial aberration and over the time all women are bound to understand the importance of their own decision-making and their inherrent capability for taking a decision. This will complete the pyramid of various categories in governance where each level would see presence of woman working with full potential, whether at the level of Gram Panchayat, Municipality, Subordinate Government ranks or still Higher Government Services or Higher Politico-Executive Posts. Such a change would definitely increase the access of women to education, health, employment and a political power. It will also increase the capability of the Nation to take up more challenges and deal with them in confidence to bring success.
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From Vidya Dhopatkar vidyadhopatkar@gmail.com
Dear Madam,
Please find attached a copy of a letter for your article in MEDC’s Monthly Economic Digest for the month of March 2012.
Regards,
Vidya Dhopatkar
Economist – MEDC
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To February 15th, 2012
Ms. Leena Mehendale, IAS
Sub.:
Request for an Article for MEDC’s Monthly Economic Digest.
Respected Madam,
As you are aware, for the last several years, MEDC has
been publishing the Monthly Economic Digest, which is an update on
global, Indian & Maharashtra’s economic trends & policy-issues. The
Monthly Economic Digest has been widely read and well received by the Govt.
officials, business, industry, academicians & media.
On behalf of Mr. Vithal Kamat,
President, MEDC, and on behalf of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Monthly
Economic Digest, I request you to contribute an article for our Digest on the
subject of
“Women in Governance”
I request you to send your
Article of about 1200-1400 words by the 27th February 2012 , so as to
enable us to publish the same in our next issue slated for March 5, 2012 ,
which will have the Lead Story
on this subject on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The other
authors that are contributing to the cover story are Dr. Vibhuti Patel, (Social
Security and Social Protection), and Dr. Thanksy Thekkekara, (Micro
Finance).
We also
request you to send one page abstract
by February 20th, 2012 for circulation among the Digest Editorial Board Members.
We look forward to your positive response and confirmation
at an early date.
Thanks and with warm regards,
Yours
sincerely,
Dr. C.S. Deshpande
Executive Director
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