Having a woman as chief minister has made no difference to their lives, says a group of young women.In Rajasthan, the search for the “women's vote” can be a zigzag journey where every signpost of change is also a pointer to that which has not changed. Come to Jhunjhunu, where in March this year, the second phase of the national “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign was launched.
Or come to Bhateri, a village about 55 km from Jaipur, to meet Bhanwari Devi. Her rape in 1992 while working in the government campaign against child marriage had became a trigger for the Vishakha guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in 1997 and the law against sexual harassment at the workplace in 2013 — both form the backdrop for the current MeToo movement.
But first, to Jhunjhunu and its resident incongruity: In this district, even as the child sex ratio dipped very low (it has shown an improvement in recent years), female literacy indicators have remained relatively high. That is, the district has been doing well in girls' education even as it lagged behind in curbing female foeticide.
There are explanations for girls' education getting an early push in Jhunjhunu: The influence of Arya Samaj movements, the fact that the region sent out a large number of soldiers who became a bridge to the outside world, and because many of the…
