Institute offers crash course to aspiring women politicians; only qualification
is a love for politics
The meteoric rise of astute leaders like Indira Gandhi, Sonia
Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj, J. Jayalalithaa, Mamata Banerjee has inspired several women
to enter politics. For many others who wish to enter the political arena,
but are nervous about surviving in the big, bad world of politics, the Centre for
Public Policy (CPP) at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) is introducing
a course exclusively for aspiring women politicians.
The 40-day crash course will formally train women to handle various political and
administrative roles. "With women's reservation gathering steam, the course aims
to create a cadre of trained women politicians," CPP Chairperson Rajeev Gowda told
DNA.
With representation of women in local bodies going up to 50%, the course will equip
women to handle different political scenarios and administrative challenges. "At
the local level, women's reservation is already in force, and at the state and central
level, it will soon come into force. Such a course will equip women to take on bigger
roles in politics," said IIM-B adjunct professor Ashwin Mahesh. "The course will
provide women a chance to improve their knowledge about governance."
There is no eligibility criteria for those who wish to enrol for the course. "There
is no particular qualification required, other than interest in politics. There
is no need for of any qualification in politics anyway," said Mahesh.
The course will zero in on issues women can focus on after being elected. They include
governance and its administrative structure, powers of an elected representative,
formulating budgets and interventions in the affairs of their constituency to bring
about a positive change. In all, it will be an overview of an elected representative's
duties and responsibilities.
The course is scheduled to begin in a few months. "We are still working out some
details. It may take a couple of months," said Gowda.
Courtesy: DNA India
