From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Sep 14: The UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the Government of Karnataka have signed a project cooperation agreement for empowering elected women members of gram, taluk and zilla pancahayats in Mysore and Dharwad on a pilot basis.

The agreement was signed by Karnataka’s Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department Principal Secretary Amita Prasad and UN Women Regional Programme Director Sushma Kapoor in the presence of Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Jagadish Shettar in Bangalore on Wednesday.

The estimated cost of the project would be Rs. 1.35 crore and the training would be given to women elected members of rural local bodies at the Abdul Nazir Sab Institute for Rural Development, Mysore.

UN Women would engage a district programme officer to assist in execution of the programme.

Prasad said resource personnel for implementing the project for training women members would be given training initially at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), Hyderabad.

Later, the resource persons would impart training to the elected women members of both districts at Abdul Nazir Sab Institute for Rural Development, Mysore.

A total of 2803 women members of local bodies of Dharwad and Mysore districts would be trained in the next one year. The training would commence in November.

The main objectives of the training are capacity building of elected women members, research and policy advocacy to address the legal and political issues pertaining to local self-governance and evolution of a centre for excellence in the course of programme.

Women members would be informed about governance issues, members’ rights and duties, district project plans, grama sabha meetings and various acts and laws.

About 100 gram sabha meetings would be convened in two districts during the training period, Prasad said.