The government said the bill is aimed at enabling greater participation of women in policy-making at state and national levels
IndiGlobal Bureau
The Women’s Reservation Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday during the special session of Parliament. The bill, called the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, proposes 33 per cent reservation for women in Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha of the new Parliament building by Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on the second day of the special session.
The Women’s Reservation Bill which will provide 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, will only come into effect after the next delimitation exercise which is expected to be conducted after 2026.
Provisions of the Women’s Reservation Bill
- The bill seeks to reserve 33% seats for women in Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies and the Delhi assembly. The quota won’t apply to Rajya Sabha or state Legislative Councils.
- From the said quota, one-third shall be reserved for women from the the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
- Reservation of seats shall come into effect after delimitation is undertaken after the relevant figures for the first census have been published.
- Rotation of the seats reserved for women in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies shall take place after each subsequent exercise of delimitation.
- No two women MPs will be allowed to contest one seat.
- The bill excludes reservations for women from the OBC category.
The government said the bill is aimed at enabling greater participation of women in policy-making at state and national levels. The proposed bill had been pending for nearly 27 years with the last concrete action being its passing in the Rajya Sabha in 2010.