Empowerment of women has been one of the prime targets of Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik in his fifth term in office. However, going by what is happening on the ground, women empowerment seems to be a distant dream in the state.

At present, women enjoy 50 per cent reservation in the three-tier panchayati raj system in Odisha. As a result, a majority of sarpanches are women. However, women sarpanches have been nothing more than puppets with strings being pulled by either their husbands, sons or relatives.

Worried over the trend of “proxy sarpanches” wielding real power, the state government has now asked district collectors to take stringent action against such power brokers. It has directed the collectors to initiate criminal action against such people.

Commenting on the trend, columnist Subhendu Kumar Bhuyan told The Telegraph: "Ours is a male chauvinistic society. The "proxy sarpanch" syndrome is quite a common phenomenon both in the coastal and tribal belt. When you approach for a work at the panchayati level and if it’s a woman sarpanch, it's the husband or his relatives who take the call. Sometimes even the husband keeps the phone of her wife who is a public representative.”

Worried about it, principal secretary of panchayati raj and drinking water department, S.K. Lohani, in a letter to the district collectors said: “I am to state that it is imperative to strengthen panchayati raj institutions (PRIS) by ensuring gender equality, inclusivity and participation of women in governance structures. The issue of proxy sarpanches presents a significant challenge to the same and it is essential that proactive measures are taken to curtail the practice of proxy sarpanches within PRIs in order to strengthen the decision-making authority and discharge of operational responsibilities vested in elected female representatives.”

The letter further said: “In the event of receiving such allegations under your administrations, prompt actions must be undertaken in accordance with the relevant acts and rules governing the panchayati raj systems.”

Lohani also asked the collectors that upon receipt and verifications of such allegations, necessary warning might be issued to the erring sarpanches stating that actions should be taken against them as well as the proxy sarpanches.

The principal secretary said: “Necessary criminal actions may also be initiated against the proxy sarpanches. This may be treated as most urgent.”

A senior official said: “It was Biju Babu who had thought of extending reservation to women so that they can be a part of the decision-making process and reserved 33 per cent for women in local bodies. Later Naveen Patnaik extended the reservation facility to women to 50 per cent with the hope that a tangible change would be witnessed at the ground level. But no sort of thing has been noticed.”

Former president of Odisha State Panchayati Parishad, Sankarsan Parida, said: "Under the 73rd amendment, power has been entrusted to women. The objective is to make them a part of the decision-making process. But in reality, things are different. The purpose seems to be defeated.”

General secretary of Odisha Sarpanch Mahasangha, Tapan Kumar Chakraborty, said: “We are sensitising the woman representatives on the issue. We are helping them in discharging their duties and responsibilities.”