- September 19, 2023
First bill to be introduced in new Parliament building: ‘Women’s reservation bill in Lok Sabha’ | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: The Union government on Tuesday introduced a constitutional amendment bill aimed at reserving one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women.
This move revives a long-pending bill that has awaited consensus among political parties for 27 years.
This bill has become the first legislation to be presented in the new Parliament building. The government has stated that its enactment will foster increased participation of women in policymaking at both the state and national levels, aligning with the objective of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047.
The proposed legislation will be known as “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.”
It is anticipated that the bill will encounter a smoother path this time, given the growing support among several political parties for women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
However, its implementation may still take some time and is unlikely to be in force for the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024 as the reservation will come into effect only after a delimitation exercise is completed.
There have been several efforts to introduce women’s reservation bill in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies since 1996. The last such attempt was made in 2010, when the Rajya Sabha had passed a Bill for women’s reservation, but the same could not be passed in the Lok Sabha. Data shows that women MPs account for nearly 15 per cent of Lok Sabha strength while their representation is below 10% in many state assemblies.
Key points of the bill
The bill has proposed that the reservation would continue for a period of 15 years and there will be quota for SC/STs within the reserved seats for women.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was listed for introduction in the Lower House through a supplementary list of business.
The reservation will come into effect after a delimitation exercise is undertaken and will continue for 15 years. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise, according to the bill.
This move revives a long-pending bill that has awaited consensus among political parties for 27 years.
This bill has become the first legislation to be presented in the new Parliament building. The government has stated that its enactment will foster increased participation of women in policymaking at both the state and national levels, aligning with the objective of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047.
The proposed legislation will be known as “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.”
It is anticipated that the bill will encounter a smoother path this time, given the growing support among several political parties for women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
However, its implementation may still take some time and is unlikely to be in force for the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024 as the reservation will come into effect only after a delimitation exercise is completed.
There have been several efforts to introduce women’s reservation bill in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies since 1996. The last such attempt was made in 2010, when the Rajya Sabha had passed a Bill for women’s reservation, but the same could not be passed in the Lok Sabha. Data shows that women MPs account for nearly 15 per cent of Lok Sabha strength while their representation is below 10% in many state assemblies.
Key points of the bill
The bill has proposed that the reservation would continue for a period of 15 years and there will be quota for SC/STs within the reserved seats for women.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was listed for introduction in the Lower House through a supplementary list of business.
The reservation will come into effect after a delimitation exercise is undertaken and will continue for 15 years. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise, according to the bill.
