Three decades of India’s decentralisation venture

India’s Panchayati Raj system, established by the 73rd constitutional amendment, made panchayats the third tier of local self-government in India, with one-third of seats reserved for women. However, the system’s success varies by state, with some providing greater devolution of financial powers to local bodies than others. While some states have exceeded the 33% quota of women representatives, the country’s national and state-level governing bodies continue to struggle to provide equal representation to women.