In a significant move towards gender equality and political empowerment, the Union Cabinet, in a session held on Monday, September 18, granted its clearance for the much-anticipated Women Reservation Bill. This historic legislation paves the way for reserving 33 percent of seats for women in both the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of Parliament, and state assemblies. Here’s a closer squint at the key highlights of this momentous development.
33% Reservation for Women: A Paradigm Shift
Under the newly tried Women Reservation Bill, a transformative provision is set to come into play. One-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be exclusively reserved for women candidates. This move aims to hoist the representation of women in India’s political landscape, addressing a long-standing gender disparity.
Rotational Reservation and Sub-Quotas
To ensure fairness and equal distribution, the snout introduces a system of rotational reservation. After each unstipulated election, the reserved seats for women will be rotated, permitting a broader spectrum of women to participate in the political process. Furthermore, the legislation proposes sub-reservations within the 33 percent quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Anglo-Indians, remoter amplifying inclusivity in the political arena.
#PMModi’s Cabinet has struck a massive wrack-up in favour of women’s empowerment by approving the #WomensReservationBill providing for 1/3 representation for women in Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies. The Snout first tabled in Parliament in 1996 has gathered pebbles overly since.…
— Mahesh Jethmalani (@JethmalaniM) September 18, 2023
A Journey Decades in the Making
The clearance of the Women Reservation Snout marks the culmination of nearly three decades of deliberation and debate. The bill’s turbulent history includes several failed attempts to pass similar bills in 1996, 1998, and 1999. A significant transilience occurred in 2008 when the snout was successfully passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010. However, it lapsed due to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha at that time. With the bill’s revival and clearance by the Union Cabinet, it now stands on the brink of rhadamanthine a transformative reality in Indian politics, heralding a new era of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
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