Safai Saathis or waste pickers are the backbone of traditional wa

From helping women inmates in prenatal and postnatal stages, to vaccination of children and giving them pre-primary education, this is how prison authorities are looking after children who stay with their mothers inside jails.

Drawing on empirical data from four gram panchayats in Orissa, the paper examines the ‘representation’ of elected representatives—more particularly those of disadvantaged categories—by exploring their participation in the governance process, responsiveness towards the interest o