Women's representation in India's national legislature has historically been very low. What specific measure has been taken at the local government (Panchayati Raj) level to increase women's political participation, and what has been the outcome in terms of numbers?
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:15 · grounding rag
Model Answer
In India, the proportion of women in the Lok Sabha has been very low (only 14.36% in 2019), and their share in state assemblies is less than 5%.
To increase women's political participation, the Panchayati Raj system has reserved one-third (1/3) of seats in local government bodies — panchayats and municipalities — for women.
As an outcome, there are now more than 10 lakh (1 million) elected women representatives in rural and urban local bodies across India.
Source: Chapter 3 — Gender and Politics, Women's Political Representation
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Explanation
- The question has two parts: (1) the specific measure taken, and (2) the outcome in numbers. Address both clearly.
- The key fact examiners expect: one-third reservation in Panchayati Raj bodies (not Lok Sabha or state assemblies).
- The outcome figure — more than 10 lakh elected women representatives — is the exact statistic from the textbook; mention it.
- Note that a similar Women's Reservation Act (2023) was later passed for Lok Sabha/assemblies too — you may add this as a bonus line if space allows, but the core answer is about Panchayati Raj.