The ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhniyam,’ which mandates a 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, has officially become law after receiving assent from President Droupadi Murmu. This historic legislation was unanimously passed by the Rajya Sabha and marked the first bill to be passed in the new Parliament building.
On September 20, the bill was approved with 454 members voting in favor and two against, following a division on the motion seeking its passage. Opposition amendments were rejected, and separate clauses of the draft legislation were also put to a vote.
On September 21, the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was “unanimously” passed in the Rajya Sabha, coinciding with the Prime Minister’s birthday as per the Hindu calendar. Women members from both Houses of Parliament, including PT Usha, Union Ministers Meenakashi Lekhi, and Smriti Irani, celebrated this historic moment by presenting a bouquet to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Although the Rajya Sabha had previously passed the Women’s Reservation Bill in 2010 during the Congress-led UPA government, it was not taken up in the Lok Sabha and subsequently lapsed in the lower House of Parliament.
Following the successful passage of the bill in both Houses last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his satisfaction, stating that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament will lead to greater representation and empowerment of women in the country.
Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi praised PM Modi for the bill’s passage, hailing it as a historic move that empowers women.
While opposition leaders welcomed the bill, some raised concerns about the absence of an OBC sub-quota in the draft legislation. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha, a strong advocate for fairer representation of women in legislative bodies, considered the passage of the quota Bill a significant step toward enhancing women’s participation in the country’s political process. However, she emphasized the need for a sub-quota for OBC women to ensure equitable representation in the legislative process.
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