Empowerment of Scheduled Castes in India: An Impact Assessment Study of Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015

Caste-based social stratification is strong in India. Scheduled Castes (SCs) are weaker section of the society facing multiple inequities and discrimination in India. The state of Haryana has enacted Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, by which educational qualifications have been made mandatory to fight Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) elections since 2016. Based on secondary data collected from the Haryana Panchayati Raj Institutions Election Reports for the year 2010 and 2016, the study reveals that the share of elected SC PRIs increased from 22.94% in 2010 to 25.39% in 2016, after the introduction of educational qualifications for the PRIs election. Empowerment has been gauged on account of extra seats SCs have won than the seats reserved. SC PRIs empowerment composite score increased from 71.07 in 2010 to 116.55 in 2016. Mewat district had low educational level among rural SCs recorded highest PRIs empowerment index. The study highlights that the SCs, particularly of Panchkula, Kaithal, Sonipat and Jind districts require some motivational support to encourage their participation in PRIs elections.