Women’s reservation bill introduced, PM says September 19 ‘historic day’

NEW DELHI,SEPT 19 : The Women’s Reservation Bill that seeks to provide 33 per cent quota for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies was introduced in the Lok Sabha today in the ongoing special session of Parliament. Calling September 19 a “historic day”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the Opposition to unanimously pass the Bill – ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ – that has been hanging for nearly three decades.

“On this historic occasion in the new Parliament building, as the first proceeding of the House, the beginning of all the Parliamentarians opening gateways for women power is being done with this crucial decision,” Prime Minister Modi said in Lok Sabha.

PM Modi announced that his government is “bringing an important constitutional amendment bill”, taking forward “our resolve of women-led development”

“Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ will further empower our democracy,” said PM Modi. “There have been many debates in the past regarding women’s reservation… and I appeal to lawmakers to support the bill,” the Prime Minister said.

“We want more and more women to join the development process of the country,” he added, before Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented the bill to lawmakers.

Women account for almost half of the country’s 950 million registered voters but make for only 15% of parliament and about 10% of state legislatures.

The bill, once approved, will see the number of women MPs in Lok Sabha go up to 181 from the current 82, Meghwal said.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury credited his party for the women’s quota bill. “Former Congress governments under Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, and Manmohan Singh had consistently tried to pass the bill to provide reservation for women,” he said.

Chowdhury also claimed that the Women’s Reservation Bill, which was passed in the Rajya Sabha during the Congress regime under Manmohan Singh, was still pending.

However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah countered the claim by stating that the bill had already lapsed.

WOMEN’S RESERVATION BILL – HIGHLIGHTS

The, Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to introduce three new articles and one new clause in the Constitution.

1. New clause in 239AA: Seats shall be reserved for women in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, 1/3rd of the seats reserved for SCs shall be reserved for women, 1/3rd of total number of seats to be filled by direct elections shall be reserved for women through law determined by parliament

2. New Article – 330A: Reservation for women in Lok Sabha – 1/3rd of seats reserved for SCs and STs shall be reserved for women, 1/3rd of total seats to be filled by direct elections to the Lok Sabha shall be reserved for women

3. New Article – 332A: Reserved seats for women in every state Legislative Assembly, 1/3rd of seats reserved for SCs and STs shall be reserved for women, 1/3rd of total seats to be filled by direct elections to the LA shall be reserved for women

4. New article – 334A: Reservation shall come into effect after the delimitation is undertaken after the relevant figures for the first census have been published. Rotation of seats for women shall take effect after each subsequent exercise of delimitation

A bill to provide reservation for women in Parliament and assemblies were first introduced in the Lok Sabha in 1996 by the Deve Gowda-led United Front government. It failed to get the approval of the House and was referred to a joint parliamentary committee which submitted its report to the Lok Sabha in December 1996. But the Bill lapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

In 1998, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government reintroduced the Bill in Lok Sabha. This bill also failed to get support and lapsed again. The bill was reintroduced in 1999, 2002 and 2003. Even though there was support for it within the Congress, the BJP and the Left parties, the bill failed to receive majority votes.

In 2008, the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government tabled the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, and it was passed in 2010. However, the Bill was never taken up for consideration in the Lok Sabha and lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.

-PTI