AWARENESS AND PARTICIPATION OF TRIBAL WOMEN IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT: A STUDY OF THE GHOSEPUKUR GRAM PANCHAYAT, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

One of the pre-conditions of socio-economic development and enrichment of the quality of life in the society is the political participation of women. This general statement is also true for tribal women. Women participation in politics, therefore, is recognized as a catalyst in the process of change. The purpose of this study was to study the nature, types and forms of tribal-women participation in the new set-up of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRI) in one of the tribal pockets, Ghosepukur, of the district of Darjeeling, West Bengal. The present study comprised of one hundred and thirty tribal respondents, each representing a distinct household, in the three villages of Ghosepukur Gram Panchayat, Kamala Bagan George line, Kamala Bagan Dipa line and Gayaganga Girja line. The findings of this study have been analysed with an aim to reflect the mindset of the tribal women in terms of participation in PRI and their idea about the village development.