New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Women’s Reservation Bill, which aims to give a 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, the Law Ministry notified on September 29.
Initially introduced as the Constitution (128th) Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, it will now be known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act due to pending constitutional amendments in Parliament.
The law will become effective on a date determined by the Central government through an official gazette notification, as stated in the Law Ministry’s notification.
Special Session
During a special session of Parliament earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the law as the “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.”
The Constitution amendment Bill received near-unanimous approval in the Lok Sabha, with only two members opposing it, and passed with unanimous approval in the Rajya Sabha.
However, the implementation of the law will occur after the next census and the subsequent delimitation exercise, which involves the redrawing of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies. This process will determine the number of seats that will be reserved for women. The reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies will remain in effect for 15 years, with the possibility of extension by Parliament.
While there is a provision for a quota within quota for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women, the Opposition called for extending this benefit to Other Backward Classes (OBC) during the special session.
The Women’s Reservation Bill was first introduced in 1996 and underwent various developments, including its passage in the Rajya Sabha in March 2010. However, the Bill was not introduced in the Lok Sabha due to a lack of consensus and insufficient numbers to secure its passage.
Data reveals that women MPs currently constitute nearly 15% of the Lok Sabha’s strength, while their representation in many State Assemblies is below 10%.
