Women constitute half of the population of the country. But, they do not have decision-making power for their development. Women can change their fate and design their future if they wish by participating in political activities. Political participation ensures political empowerment, which in turn, paving the way for socio-economic empowerment. By providing reservation for women in Panchayat Raj Institutions through 73^rd and 74^th constitutional Amendment Acts, Indian democracy is inviting women into political sphere at gross-root level. It is in the context of an idea being mooted to bring all States to reserve half of the seats in all three tiers of rural local bodies, this article is aimed at reviewing the status of women representation and participation in PRIs and also providing an insight into hurdles exist for empowerment of women through PRIs.

Keywords: PRIs, Participation, Empowerment, Reservation, Representation.