Social Media Participatory Development Communication during COVID-19 by Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in India

Abstract

The advancement in technology has mandated many elected representatives to use social media for socio-political participation, participatory development and currently to create awareness about the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in India is to develop local self-governments in districts, zones, and villages, with rural development being their main objective. Women's participation in the political arena was ensured, at the local self-government level by the historic 73rd and 74th amendments of the Indian constitution in the year 1992 by granting 33 percent reservation for women in the Indian rural governance processes. It heralded a new era in decentralized governance in India. The landmark amendment has allowed women to step out of their homes and participate in Gram Panchayats and other local institutional level meetings (Phukan, Kumar, and Majeed, 2018). Karnataka was a stellar example, being the first State in the country to implement the Panchayat Raj Act, which had mandated 25% reservation for women, in 1987, prior to the Amendments of 1992. As many as 14,000 women were elected in the first elections held in 1987 (Bageshree, 2009). Use of social networking sites has upgraded the methods and structures of political communication from traditional to digital (Darshan & Suresh, 2017). Local governments in India are increasingly using social media to keep citizens safe and informed while the nation works to flatten the curve of COVID-19. In this scenario, the social media usage by Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) for participatory development, during the COVID-19 pandemic is explored. Keywords: Women, Politics, Social Media, Panchayati Raj, COVID-19