The Women's Reservation Bill, which seeks to allocate a 33 per cent quota for women in both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was introduced during the ongoing special session of Parliament in the Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking September 19 as a historic day, implored the Opposition to unanimously pass the Bill, titled 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam', which has been pending for nearly three decades.
In Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Modi expressed the significance of this momentous occasion within the new Parliament building, underscoring that the commencement of parliamentary proceedings was dedicated to empowering women in politics. He affirmed his government's commitment to fostering women-led development by presenting a significant constitutional amendment bill known as 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,' which he believes will further bolster India's democracy.
PM Modi urged lawmakers to support this bill, highlighting the numerous debates that have transpired in the past regarding women's reservation. He expressed the desire for an increased participation of women in the country's development process.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal subsequently presented the bill to lawmakers. It is noteworthy that women constitute nearly half of the country's 950 million registered voters, yet their representation in parliament is currently at approximately 15%, with a similar figure for state legislatures.
Once approved, the bill will raise the number of women Members of Parliament in Lok Sabha from the current 82 to 181, according to Meghwal.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury attributed the women's quota bill to his party's efforts, asserting that former Congress governments under Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, and Manmohan Singh consistently attempted to pass the bill to provide reservations for women.
Chowdhury also mentioned that the Women's Reservation Bill, which had been passed in the Rajya Sabha during the Congress regime under Manmohan Singh, remains pending.
However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah refuted this claim, stating that the bill had already lapsed.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, aims to introduce three new articles and one new clause in the Constitution:
1. A new clause in 239AA: This clause stipulates that seats in the Delhi Legislative Assembly shall be reserved for women, and one-third of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) shall also be reserved for women. Moreover, one-third of the total number of seats to be filled through direct elections shall be reserved for women as determined by parliament.
2. A new Article - 330A: This article seeks to reserve seats for women in Lok Sabha, allocating one-third of seats reserved for SCs and STs for women. Additionally, one-third of the total seats filled through direct elections to Lok Sabha shall be reserved for women.
3. A new Article - 332A: This article mandates reserved seats for women in every state Legislative Assembly, reserving one-third of seats designated for SCs and STs for women. Similarly, one-third of the total seats filled through direct elections to the Legislative Assembly shall be reserved for women.
4. A new article - 334A: This article specifies that the reservation shall become effective following the completion of delimitation after the relevant figures from the initial census have been published. Subsequently, the rotation of seats for women shall be implemented following each subsequent delimitation exercise.
The Women's Reservation Bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in 1996 by the Deve Gowda-led United Front government. However, it failed to gain approval and was subsequently referred to a joint parliamentary committee, which submitted its report to the Lok Sabha in December 1996. Unfortunately, the Bill lapsed when the Lok Sabha dissolved.
In 1998, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government reintroduced the Bill in the Lok Sabha. This attempt, like the previous one, failed to secure support and also lapsed. The bill resurfaced in 1999, 2002, and 2003, but despite backing from the Congress, BJP, and Left parties, it failed to garner a majority vote.
In 2008, the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government presented the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, where it was passed in 2010. However, the bill never proceeded to the Lok Sabha for consideration and subsequently lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.
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