Women’s Reservation Bill Receives Green Light from Union Cabinet

Madhavi Gaur September 18, 2023 10:56 8823 0

Women's Reservation Bill: Women's Reservation Bill (Constitution 108th Amendment Bill, 2008) cleared by the Union Cabinet, it reserves 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures for women.

Women’s Reservation Bill Receives Green Light from Union Cabinet

Women’s Reservation Bill

Women’s Reservation Bill: The Women’s Reservation Bill, formally known as the Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008, has received clearance from the Union Cabinet. This significant legislation aims to allocate 33 percent of seats in both the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women. During the inaugural day of the special parliamentary session, the bill took center stage.

Women's Reservation Bill
Women’s Reservation
Bill

Women’s Reservation Bill Key Points

  1. Reservation Percentage: The primary objective of the Women’s Reservation Bill is to set aside 33 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women.
  2. Inclusion of Marginalized Groups: The bill also includes provisions to ensure representation for women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. One-third of the total seats allocated for these groups will be reserved for women. These reserved seats may be rotated among different constituencies within the state or union territory.
  3. Long-Awaited Progress: Despite its significance in promoting gender equality and inclusive governance, the bill has languished in the legislative process for an extended period. While it was successfully passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, it has taken until now to be introduced in the Lower House of Parliament.
  4. Temporal Limitation: The bill specifies that the reservation of seats for women will be in effect for 15 years following the commencement of the amendment act.

Also Read: Women Freedom Fighters of India

Women’s Reservation Bill Overview  

Women’s Reservation Bill: The Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008 is designed to address gender disparity in political representation. It proposes significant changes to the reservation of parliamentary and legislative assembly seats for women.

Seat Reservation

This amendment seeks to reserve one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women. The allocation of these reserved seats will be determined by an authority designated by Parliament.

Reserved Seats for Scheduled Castes and Tribes

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that one-third of the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will also be set aside for women belonging to those groups in both the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies.

Rotation of Reserved Seats

Reserved seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies within a state or union territory, ensuring a fair distribution of opportunities for women across regions.

Temporal Limitation

It’s important to note that reservation of seats for women is not intended to be a permanent arrangement. The bill specifies that this reservation shall cease to exist 15 years after the commencement of this Amendment Act, reflecting a commitment to addressing gender imbalances over time.

What is women’s reservation bill 108th Constitutional Amendment bill?

The Women’s Reservation Bill, also known as the Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill of March 9, 2010, is an Indian parliamentary bill aimed at amending the Constitution to allocate one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) and all state legislative assemblies to women.

Women Reservation Bill Key Considerations and Analysis

Women’s Reservation Bill: Opinions on the reservation policy diverge significantly. Advocates emphasize the need for affirmative action to uplift women’s status. Recent studies on panchayats have revealed the positive impact of reservation on women’s empowerment and resource allocation.

  • Critics argue that this policy could perpetuate the perception that women are not competing on merit, thereby maintaining their unequal status. They also contend that it diverts attention from more extensive electoral reform issues, such as the criminalization of politics and inner-party democracy.
  • Reserving seats in Parliament limits voters’ choices to female candidates. Consequently, some experts have proposed alternative methods like reserving positions within political parties and introducing dual member constituencies.
  • Rotating reserved constituencies in every election may diminish the motivation of Members of Parliament (MPs) to work for their constituencies, as they may become ineligible for re-election from the same constituency.
  • The report examining the 1996 women’s reservation Bill recommended extending reservation to women from Other Backward Classes (OBCs) once the Constitution allowed for OBC reservation. It also suggested extending reservation to the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Councils. However, these recommendations have not been included in the current Bill.

Women's Reservation Bill FAQs

The women's reservation bill aims to allocate 33% of seats in state legislative assemblies and Parliament for women, with additional sub-reservations for SCs, STs, and Anglo-Indians within this quota.

The proposal to reserve 33% of parliamentary seats for women must be examined within this larger framework. The National Perspective Plan on Women was the first to advocate for reservations, extending from Panchayats to Parliament.

The Union Cabinet reportedly greenlit a bill for 33% reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State/Union Territory assemblies. Official confirmation is pending. The main opposition party, Congress, has expressed support for this development.

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UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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