Amid clamour from Opposition leaders, will Modi govt push for Women’s Reservation Bill?
central government might bring the long-pending 'Women's Reservation Bill' during the Special Parliament Session which aims to reserve 33 per cent of seats in Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies for women.
However, the bill has not been officially listed by the government when it revealed the bills its planning to bring in the Parliament.
The bill was officially introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 12, 1996 by the UPA government. Since the last 27 years, the bill has been waiting to get approved by the Parliament.
Timeline of the Bill:
- 1996: Bill introduced in Lok Sabha by UPA government; failed to get approval in Lok Sabha, it was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee chaired by Geeta Mukherjee.
- 1996: Report by committee chaired by Geeta Mukherjee presented to lower house on December 9, 1996
- 1998: Atal Bihari Vajpayee's NDA government re-introduces the bill
- 1999: NDA government re-introduced the bill in the 13th Lok Sabha session
- 2002: It moved the Bill again amid pandemonium in 2002
- 2003: Bill re-introduced
- 2008: UPA-I government, led by Congress, again introduces it in May 2008 but referred to a standing committee
- 2010: Passed in the House and transmitted finally to the Lok Sabha
- 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls: BJP party's election manifesto said it will pass the bill
Importance of the bill:
The bill will help to represent those who remain under represented.
At present, women MPs account for less than 15 per cent of Lok Sabha strength while their representation is below 10 per cent in many state assemblies, data shows.
In the present Lok Sabha, 78 women members were elected which account for less than 15 per cent of the total strength of 543.
In Rajya Sabha too, women's representation is about 14
