Bakapur in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra may be a small village with a population of about 2,000 people, but a commendable step has been taken to promote gender equality. In this village, the name of the woman appears on the name plate of every house. This has been possible through a special provision made by the Gram Panchayat in 2008.
In Bakapur, located about 20 km from Aurangabad, the placards with the name of every house make the residents feel proud, as the woman’s name is written on it as the owner or co-owner of the house. There is not a single house in the village, outside which there is a placard with the name of the man.
Bakapur sarpanch (village head) Kavita Salve said, “This decision has given women of my village an opportunity to express their views on domestic matters.” This decision was taken in 2008, when Sudamrao was the sarpanch of Palaskar village. Palaskar said, “Based on the first few experiences, it was decided that the woman of each family should be made the owner of her house. Then there were seven members in the Gram Panchayat. Not a single person voted against this proposal. This decision has brought a sense of security to every household in the village, it is also good for the future of the children.
Kavita Salve proudly said, ‘In Bakapur, every house has a woman’s name on the name placard. It has become a rule now.’ Salve lives in Bakapur for the last 21 years. He said that earlier there was fear that men would sell the house without the consent of the lady of the house.
Deputy sarpanch Aziz Shah said that earlier some people who were under the influence of various types of intoxicants had tried to sell their houses. “The house is running smoothly due to the decision to give the ownership of the house to a woman of the family. If a person wants to buy a house in Bakapur, he has to buy a house jointly with a woman from his family.