Discuss the contribution of civil society groups for women's effective and meaningful participation and representation in state legislatures in India.

Q14. Discuss the contribution of civil society groups for women’s effective and meaningful participation and representation in state legislatures in India. (15m)

About Civil Society Organisations

A civil society organization (CSO) is any non-profit, voluntary citizens’ group which is organized on a local or national level.

Contributions of CSG in participation and representation in State Legislature

Civil society organizations play a significant role in increasing the participation of women in state legislatures in India through the following measures:

Awareness campaigns: NGO leads an advocacy campaign for encouraging women’s participation in Politics.
- Association of democratic reforms educates women’s participation in elections, also encourages voter participation.
Bring about Policy change: Various campaigns have been launched in support of Women reservation bills which offer 33% reservation in both Parliament and State legislatures.
- K Kavitha-led Bharat Jagruthi has held various agitations in favor of implementing the women’s reservation bill.
Capacity building and Training of Women: By providing for training and capacity-building programs NGOs equip women with the necessary skills and knowledge to contest elections, navigate the political landscape, and effectively represent their constituencies.
- For e.g. National foundation for India promotes leadership among women by providing awards and opportunities, providing dialogue to all stakeholders, etc.
Research and data collection: Various NGO’s conduct research and data collection on women’s political participation, representation, and challenges.
- For e.g. the Centre for Social Research an advocacy group for women conducts research on status of women empowerment and inclusiveness.
Grassroot Mobilisation: By encouraging Grassroot mobilization, NGO ensure women who will become future leaders.

Conclusion

Thus, CSO through there multifaceted efforts such as awareness raising, advocating for policy reforms, capacity building, data collection, grassroot mobilisation contrivute towards participation and representation in State legislatures.

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