Because a democracy is judged by whether the people with the least power are still heard. The chapter puts the rule in one line on page 169: “At all the three levels, special rules have been made so that disadvantaged sections of the population can make their needs and problems heard. These institutions also have a provision for reserving one-third of the seats for women.”
Four reasons, in order of strength:
| Reason | What it means in a village |
|---|---|
| 1. Their needs are the most urgent | A family with land and a pucca house can manage without the village hand pump. A landless family cannot. Attention has to go where the need is greatest, not where the voice is loudest |
| 2. Otherwise they simply are not heard | In a meeting, the people who speak most easily are those with land, money or education. Without a rule, the same few decide everything. Vandana Bahadur Maida had to “convince women in the village to attend the Sabha meetings” before their problems were even mentioned |
| 3. Equality is a promise of the Constitution | Every citizen is equal before the law. But people do not start equally, so the Constitution allows special provisions to help those who have been left behind catch up |
| 4. The whole village gains | Children who stay in school, families that do not fall sick from bad water, and workers who find employment at home make the village stronger — not just those families |
Who are the disadvantaged sections? Broadly, those who face a disadvantage they did not choose — Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, women, landless labourers and the very poor, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and children. The chapter’s own examples show the rules working: Dnyaneshwar Kamble, a transgender person, elected Sarpanch of Tarangfal in Solapur district; Vandana Bahadur Maida of the Bhil community, the first woman Sarpanch of Khankhandvi.