BANGALORE: The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN) and the Karnataka state government have signed the Project Cooperation Agreement to empower elected women representatives and promote gender responsive good governance, an initiative to transform women from mere political representation to effective political participation, here on Wednesday.Initiated in December 2009, the gender responsive governance programme is a tripartite agreement between the Royal Government of Norway, the Union Ministry of Rural Development, panchayat raj and the UN WOMEN. The programme will be rolled out in phases in six states in the country. The programme intended to empower the elected women members of villages, taluks and zilla panchayats in Mysore and Dharwad district on pilot basis in Karnataka. It would be extended to the rest of the districts in the state in a phased manner, Minister for Rural Development and panchayat raj Jagadish Shettar said.Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department principal secretary Amita Prasad and UN Women Regional Programme director Sushma Kapoor singed the agreement in Bangalore in the presence of Shettar. The estimated cost of the project would be `1.35 crore and training would be given to women elected members of rural local bodies at the Abdul Nazir Sab Institute for Rural Development, Mysore. The project would be in force till March 31, 2013 and would be extended if needed. Speaking on the occasion Amita said that, the resource personnel for training women members would be given training at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) Hyderabad and in turn they would impart training to elected women members.Outlining the main objectives of the programme she said that it included the capacity building of elected women representatives at the gram sabha level, 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 the programme.Shettar said that under the programme, women members would be informed about governance issues, members rights and duties, district project plansand about various laws. About 100 gram sabha meetings would be convened in two districts, he said.Deputy Regional Programme Director, UN WOMEN Sushma Kapoor said that the programme was aimed to remove the gaps among the women members in exercising their rights and duties as an elected representative of the people.
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