NEW DELHI, Sept 20: The Lok Sabha today passed the Women’s Reservation Bill which provides for a 33 percent quota in the lower house of parliament and the state assemblies for women. As many as 454 members in the People’s House voted in favour of the Bill while 2 members opposed it. The Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023 (Women’s reservation Bill) is the first legislation to be passed by the Lok Sabha in the ongoing special session of the Parliament.
It is also the maiden legislation to be cleared in the new Parliament building. “In order to enable greater participation of women as public representative in policy making at the state and national level, it is decided to introduce a fresh legislation for Constitutional amendment to provide for, as nearly as may be, one-third of total seats in the House of the People (Lok Sabha), the legislative assembly of every state and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi to be reserved for women,” according to the statement of objects and reasons of the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Tuesday moved the bill for consideration and passage in Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building. Replying to the discussion on the bill, the Minister on Wednesday said that he will not allow the legislaiton to get stuck in technicalities. Amid apprehensions that implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill will take more than 5 years or even more, Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that it will be implemented soon after Census and delimitation post general elections scheduled early next year.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi initiated the discussion on the bill on the part of the opposition and supported the bill, but pitched for making arrangements for quota to women from SC, ST and OBC communities by holding a caste census. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also demanded a caste census and immediate implementation of the quota for women. The women’s reservation bill will be taken up by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. (UNI)
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