Lok Sabha Question No. 1842 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-27
Subject: MoU on Gender Equality
Ministry: PANCHAYATI RAJ
Asked by: NARANBHAI KACHHADIA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1842 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.07.2017

## MoU on Gender Equality

## † 1842. SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA:

Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has accorded approval for the signing of Memorandum of Understanding  (MoU)  between  India  and  the  United  Nations  Entity  of  Gender Equality  and  the  Empowerment  of  woman  (UN-Women),  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b) whether  this  MoU  seeks  to  provide  technical  assistance  to  enhance  the  capacity  of good governance in Panchayati Raj Institutions and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the salient points on which both the parties have agreed upon?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ (SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

(a): Yes. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), Government of India and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality  and  the  Empowerment  of  Women  (UN  Women)  with  the  objective  to  enhance capacities of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to leverage opportunities created for gender equality and women's empowerment through legislations, policies and programmes  and to strengthen key capacity development institutions at the national and state level.

(b): The  purpose  of  this  MoU  is  to  provide  technical  support  to  the  MoPR  for strengthening the  gender responsive design  and implementation of policies and schemes of MoPR,  and  support  evidence  based  advocacy  and  capacity  building  efforts  on  gender responsive local governance at all levels of Panchayati Raj Institutions across India.

(c) Both  the  parties  have  agreed  upon  to  (i)  Undertake  research  on  various  aspects  of gender  responsive  governance  such  as  review  of  current  laws  and  policies  that  enable women's effective participation in local governance, opportunities and challenges for women in governance and documentation of best practices on gender responsive governance in PRIs, (ii)  Strengthen  capacity  development  efforts  of  relevant  stakeholders  including  training agencies  such  as  National  Institute  for  Rural  Development  &  Panchayati  Raj  (NIRD&PR), State  Institutes  of  Rural  Development  (SIRDs)  and  Panchayati  Raj  Technical  Institutions (PRTIs) to effectively implement legislations, policies, programmes and resource allocations for  gender  equality  and  women's  rights,  (iii)  Organize  stakeholder  meetings  for  experience sharing  to  better  inform  the  formulation  and  implementation  of  relevant  national  laws, policies and programmes including Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) from a gender perspective, (iv) Strengthen Panchayat resource centres at the district and sub-district level in selected  states  as  a  knowledge  hub  on  gender  responsive  governance  at  PRIs  and  (v) Demonstrate 'beacons as peer learning sites on convergence' for gender responsive delivery of public services and inclusive development at the Panchayat level.

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