Initiatives

Field Initiatives
The process of Creating Support & facilitation systems for elected women Representatives for efficient functioning at different levels is an ongoing process. MRA within a short span of 8 years has initiated various innovative strategies that have strengthened the Governance Roles of EWRs through field and Policy actions.

These strategies & practices have empowered them & their struggle from self to society. These best practices are combination of local talent as well as historical processes of change. These can be applied with relevance and according to realities. We have many failures also. They are the backbone of these best practices.

Field Achievements:

• Awareness Building through interlinkages at various level
• Cadre building
• Effective liaison with the Government machinery
• Dialogue with Assembly Speaker and policy makers
• Local Alliance Building through media, SHGs, Mahila Mandals and PRI
• Crisis Support & Taking stand on local issues
• Consolidation of Networks through development of knowledge base, skills and perspectives of the social activists.
• Creating a positive attitude towards People's Governance.
• Publication of Campaign material - as a dialogue with intellectuals and middle class of the society
• Lobbying with political parties,
• Conducting Pre-session workshops, Capacity Building Workshops, Women Leadership Workshops, Training of trainers
• Inter State Sharing Workshop for national policy initiatives
• Struggle documentation
• Research and field studies
• Effective Lobbying with Media - Print & Electronic at field and State level
• Initiate different Campaigns like
  • Gramsabha Gaurav Abhiyaan
  • Show Us Accounts Campaign - Hishob Dakhwa Abhiyaan
  • Campaign on 10% reserved budget for women
  • Pre-election Campaign
  • Gram Panchayat Darshan campaign
  • Joint ownership of Houses Campaign
  • Lokarpan Campaign to initiate people's leadership in Andolan
  • Felicitation of Husbands & Families for favorable support
  • Haldi Kunkum - cultural campaign to share ideas on governance
• Formation of Women's Collective through membership

Policy Initiatives

No.	Demand by Rajsatta Andolan	Action Taken	Inspiring Grassroot Leaders
1	Bill to allocate power to the Gramsabha.(Village Assembly constitution by all the voters)	Law comes into force on December 2002.	Maya Sorte, Wadwal
2	Counselling Centre for women in Panchayat.	Centres will be started at the district level.	Suman Karkale, Nanded
3	Women's Gramsabha	Accepted implemented.	Nanda Nimkar, Pune
4	Suspension of the Gramsabha	Rules will be suitably changed.	Gajanan Burghate, Amravati
5	Taluka General Body Meeting and Women's participation	BDO's are adviced to give proper publicity.	Kamal Nanekar, Morachi Chincholi
6	No -Confidence motion	3/4 majority now need to remove Women Sarpanch.	Sumitra Kanhat, Thane
7	Gramsevika	Implementation on Experimental basic is possible.	Liquor issue, Devgaon
8	10% Budget for women	Government orders already passed.	Datta Gurav, Kolhapur
9	10% Land for women’s Mandals	Priority to be given to Women's organization	Mangal Patil, Sangli
10	Finance Power to Sub Committees	Presently finance powers enjoyed by water supply and irrigation sub-committees. These powers will be extended to other committees as well.	Ratnamala Vidya, Bhandara
11	Flag hosting by Women Sarpanch	G.R.is passed Success.... Challenges.	Ratnamala Vidya, Bhandara

Policy Initiatives Proposed

No.	Demand by Rajsatta Andolan	Action Taken	Inspiring Factors
1	Travel concession for Women Sarpanch	Submission of appeal	Active EWRs of Tamil Nadu
2	Scrap two child norm's	Opinion poll of activists	Like minded partners from Himachal Pradesh
3	National Training Policy for all EWRs	MRA is a partner in consultation	National Committee on PRI New Delhi
4	National Mahila Sabha campaign	Draft paper & study	Active Bihar and Madhya Pradesh NGO's and women Gramsabha members
5	Use of Vishakha Guideline for EWRs & women leaders	Coalition with Maharashtra State Women's Commission	Supreme Court guidelines on sexual harassment at work place

Download: MRA National charter for EWRS