Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam

With powerful presence of the Matrushakti in Parliament, we hope, wish and pray to see a Parliament which is purged, sensitive and fair to half the population of our country and will not tolerate crime in the Society not just against women but to all senior citizens and children. — Vinod Johri

 

The Union government introduced a Bill to provide one-third reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies as the historic first legislation in the new Parliament House on Tuesday 19th Sept 2023, but the fine print ensures that the quota will not be implemented in next year’s general election. The Bill, referred to as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, was introduced by Law Minister Arjun Meghwal in the Lok Sabha. The Bill noted that though women participate substantially in Panchayati raj institutions and municipal bodies, their representation in the State legislatures and in Parliament is still limited. Women MPs constitute a mere 15% of the Lok Sabha, and only account for about 10% of members in many State Assemblies. Going by the Lower House’s current strength, the number of its women members will rise to 181 from the present 82 while Rajya Sabha will have 81 women members, once the law comes into force.  Within the women’s quota itself, one-third of the seats will be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. There is, however, no separate quota for women belonging to other backward classes. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha with majority of 454 to 2 and in Rajya Sabha with consensus of 215 members present in the House with no vote against the Bill. Once it becomes an Act, the law will be in force for 15 years. The seats reserved for women will be rotated after every delimitation exercise. The Bill will also need to be ratified at by at least half the State assemblies. 

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth) Amendment Bill, 2023 can be implemented only after a delimitation exercise based on decennial census is completed, using data from the latest census conducted after the passage of the Bill. The next delimitation exercise, or redrawing of constituency boundaries, is scheduled to be held in 2026. Effectively, this means that the earliest implementation of the women’s quota in the Lok Sabha can be in the 2029 general election, rather than in next year’s polls.

‘Noble work’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to both the Houses of Parliament to pass the Bill through consensus after recalling how previous attempts to pass such a Bill have failed for the last 27 years. He said that September 19 was a date that would be etched in history, adding that God had chosen him for this “noble work”.

“The Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam will further strengthen our democracy… I assure all mothers, sisters and daughters of the nation that we are committed to making this Bill into a law. For that work of ensuring rights of women and putting their power to use and for many such noble works, God has chosen me. Once again, our government has taken a step in this direction. In the cabinet yesterday, the Women’s Reservation Bill was given approval,” Mr. Modi said in his first speech in the new Lok Sabha chamber, amid thumping of desks by members.

Lok Sabha seats may increase

Bills to carve out a women’s quota have been brought in earlier under the leadership of then - Prime Minister Deve Gowda in 1996, and the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998 and 1999. The Manmohan Singh-led government introduced such a Bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2008. After being passed by the Upper House, it was sent to the Lok Sabha, and ultimately lapsed because the Lower House had not passed it until its dissolution in 2014.

The clause linking the implementation of the women’s quota to delimitation was not present in that 2008 Bill. The fact that the current Bill cannot be implemented until the 2026 delimitation taking into account the latest census means that the Union government may be envisaging an increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats. In the new Parliament building, the chamber for the Lok Sabha can accommodate 888 MPs.

India already reserves one-third of seats for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions at the village level and one-third of the offices of the chairperson at all levels of the Panchayati Raj Institutions, and in urban local bodies, respectively.

International perspective

Studies about the impact of women in leadership positions have shown the positive effect of reservation on delivering policies, programmes and financing that improves the lives of women and their families, communities, and ultimately their nations.

UN Women – Asia and Pacific

UN Women hailed India’s passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill on September 18 as a landmark moment for gender equality, especially in terms of women’s political leadership. The passage of the bill is testimony to India’s commitment to women-led development, for which it mobilised global support during its G20 Presidency this year.

Calling it a “bold” and “transformative” step, Susan Ferguson, Country Representative of UN Women India, underlined the importance of political representation for women’s sustained empowerment, while hoping that the proposed Bill will be endorsed by all stakeholders, including Members of Parliament and civil society.

“We hope political parties across the board will come together to ensure timely implementation of the Bill given that gender quotas in policies and politics is crucial to advancing gender equality and women’s rights. The Women’s Reservation Bill strengthens India’s commitment to women-led development and sets a global example,” Ms. Ferguson said in a statement. “This is a moment of great elation for gender advocates and organisations that work for gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and their increased role in leadership position.”

“Globally, women currently occupy only 26.7 per cent of parliamentary seats and 35.5 per cent of local government positions,” Ms Ferguson said. “This quota reserving 33 per cent seats for women will leapfrog India into one of 64 countries around the world who have reserved seats for women in their national Parliaments. Typically, achieving a critical mass of 30 per cent representation by women in Parliament is known to yield positive outcomes for women’s empowerment. However, we hope that implementing such reservations will ultimately lead to achieving 50 per cent representation of women in Parliaments across the globe.”

UN Women also welcomed the proposed Bill’s reservation of seats for women leaders from scheduled castes and tribes as an “important step” that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and its core objective of leaving no-one behind.

“The United Nations remains committed to collaborating with member states to advance gender equality and recognising their crucial role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals and creating a more just and equitable world for all,” Ms Ferguson said in the statement. “India’s bold step sends a clear message to the world that the path to gender equality is not only essential, but attainable.”

According to an analysis by PRS Legislative Research, countries like Sweden, where 46 per cent of the public representatives are women, Norway (46 per cent), South Africa (45 per cent), Australia (38 per cent), France (35 per cent) and Germany (35 per cent) do not have any law reserving seats for women but some political parties provide reservation. Bangladesh, which has 21 per cent women MPs, has a law providing reservations to women. Out of the 300 seats in the Bangladesh Parliament, 50 are reserved for women.

With powerful presence of the Matrushakti in Parliament, we hope, wish and pray to see a Parliament which is purged, sensitive and fair to half the population of our country and will not tolerate crime in the Society not just against women but to all senior citizens and children. The new Parliament and State assemblies will ensure that Bharat is Vishv Guru with the most vibrant democracy, respect for women and balanced approach towards development with equal partnership of the women for upliftment of all sections of the Society in the entire country.

Vinod Johri: Retd. Additional Commissioner of Income Tax

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