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Empowering Women in Panchayati Raj Institutions in India: Theoretical Analysis By Dr. Nityananda Barik Abstract The Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) are considered as Rural local Self Government. As defined that Panchayat is an association of village people, for doing administrative judicial or other public works. PRIs is considered as instruments of planned socio-economic development of millions who lives in villages. It can be considered as reflection of grassroot democracy. It provides people an opportunity to participate in the processes of democracy at the grass-roots. The provision of PRIs was included in the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Constriction of India. PRIs were seen as means of ensuring democratic participation for rapid rural development. PRIs in India is comprising of three tiers, namely, Zilla Parishad at top level, Panchayat Samiti at middle level and Gram Panchayat at the lower level. Several commissions, the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee, Ashok Mehta Committee, G.V. K. Rao Committee, L.M. Singhvi Committee were set up to strengthen PRIs and to fix the tier system. Women members found rarely on these bodies earlier, except as co opted members who were accorded little power. The Indian Parliament gave constitutional status to for inclusion of women through two amendments namely, 73rd Constitution Amendment for rural local self-government and 74th Conditional Amendment for urban local self-government. The major aspects in the Connotational Amendment for women's inclusion and reflection of political empowerment in the form of reservation of one-third of the seats for women in local bodies, along with sub reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in proportion to their regional populations. The provision of reservations in the system of local self-government in India has been greeted as an empowering process for women. Keywords: - Panchayati Raj Institutions, Constitution, Reservation, Empowerment, Amendment, Committee, Democracy.