Women’s Reservation Bill will lead to new confidence among citizens: PM Modi in Rajya Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, said that the Parliament passing the Women’s Reservation Bill will build confidence among people in the nation.

“This Bill will lead to a new confidence in the people of the country. All members and political parties have played a significant role in empowering women and enhancing ‘Nari Shakti’. Let us give the country a strong message,” PM Modi said in Rajya Sabha before voting on the bill.

He sought unanimous support for the Bill.

He said there has been a discussion on the Women’s Reservation Bill in the two Houses for the past two days and over 132 members took part in the meaningful discussion which will be helpful.

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal gave a brief reply to the day-long debate on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Rajya Sabha and said it will be implemented after following due processes.

The ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ is the first bill that will be passed by Parliament after it shifted to the new Parliament building on Tuesday.  The bill was passed by Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

In a Tweet on ‘X’, formerly Twitter, the Prime Minister said, “Had the honor of meeting our dynamic women MPs who are absolutely thrilled at the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. It is gladdening to see the torchbearers of change come together to celebrate the very legislation they have championed. With the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, India stands at the cusp of a brighter, more inclusive future with our Nari Shakti being at the core of this transformation.”

(ADDON FROM REUTERS)

Reuters, in its report of September 21, 2023, by Blassy Boben, noted the following:

After 11 hours of debate, over 200 MPs in the upper house voted in favor of the bill aimed at improving gender equality in the corridors of power.

It guarantees 33% reservation to women lawmakers in the lower house and state assemblies.

India’s Vice President and Chairman of the Upper House Jagdeep Dhankhar said the approval to the long-pending bill was a “historic achievement.”

Female lawmakers in parliament and state assemblies said the bill significantly empowers Indian woman from all walks of life.

The bill, tabled in 1996, was reintroduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government this week during the special session of the parliament.

However, the legislation will not be enforced during the general elections due in May 2024. Home Minister Amit Shah has said that it would likely come into effect in 2029.

The bill’s implementation depends on the completion of India’s once-in-a-decade population census followed by proposed redrawing of boundaries of all political constituencies.

Opposition lawmakers, while being supportive, have demanded that the bill be implemented immediately, with Congress party leaders calling for a caste census to be conducted alongside to ensure reservation for oppressed groups.

Nearly half of India’s 950 million registered voters are women but their participation in politics has remained historically low.

Just 104 of India’s 788 MPs, or slightly more than 13%, were women after the last national election, government figures show.