Govt lists women's reservation bill for introduction in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday listed the women's reservation bill in the Lok Sabha to provide one-third reservation to women in the Lower House of Parliament, state assemblies and the Delhi legislative assembly.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was listed for introduction in the Lower House through a supplementary list of business.

This will be the first bill to be introduced in the new Parliament building. In the Lok Sabha of the new Parliament building, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal tables the Women's Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha.

The government said the women's reservation bill is aimed at enabling greater participation of women in policy-making at the state and national levels.

The statement of purpose of the bill said the role of women is extremely important for achieving the goal of making India a developed country by 2047.

The reservation will come into effect after a delimitation exercise is undertaken and will continue for 15 years. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise, according to the bill.

Responding on this, Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha said, As per Clause 5 of the women reservation bill, the reservation will kick in only after a delimitation exercise and a fresh census - post the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Eighth Amendment) Act, 2023.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "In a season of election jumlas, this one is the biggest of them all! A huge betrayal of the hopes of crores of Indian women and girls. As we had pointed out earlier, Modi government has not yet conducted the 2021 Decadal Census making India the only country in G20 that has failed to carry out the Census.

Now it says that the reservation for women will come into effect only following the first decadal Census conducted after the Women’s Reservation Bill has become an Act. When will this Census take place?."