Varsha PandeyNari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam for women’s reservation
The Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on the fourth day of the special session of the Parliament.
Earlier it had been passed in the Lok Sabha. Has been sent to the President for approval.
The law will be made as soon as it gets the President’s approval.
Its name will be- Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
After its implementation, women will get 33% of reservations in Lok Sabha and Assemblies.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, while referring to the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act’ in the Parliament.
He said that its aim is to give 33 percent reservation to women in the Parliament and Assemblies.
Notably, women’s reservations can be implemented in India only after the delimitation process begins.
This means that this law cannot be implemented before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
According to the existing law, the next delimitation can be done only after the census which will be done after 2026.
This simply means that the bill cannot be implemented until at least 2027.
Let us tell you, Article 82 of the Constitution amended in 2002 says that the delimitation process can be done on the basis of the first census conducted after 2026.
Originally, the first census after 2026 was to be conducted in 2031, after which delimitation would be done.
The census was last scheduled to be held in 2021, but it was delayed due to Covid, so the next count may take place in 2027.
Understand the Nari Shakti Vandan Act in five points
1. ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Bill’ will remain in force for 15 years after its enactment.
but its duration can be extended.
The important thing is that the seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise.
2. One-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be reserved for women.
And will be filled by direct elections.
Also, reservations will not apply to Rajya Sabha or State Legislative Councils.
3. This will include reserving one-third of the seats for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe.
And one-third of the total seats for the General Category.
4. The provisions of the Act will come into force ‘after the publication of the relevant data of the first census taken after the commencement of the Constitution (128th Amendment) Act 2023’ to the delimitation or redefinition of constituencies.
5. The number of women members in the Lok Sabha will increase from the current 82 women Lok Sabha members to 181.
However, that is, out of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats, 181 seats will be reserved for women.
This bill is similar to the Women’s Reservation Bill prepared in 2010 when the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government was in power.
At present, the number of women in Parliament and legislatures in India is only 14 percent, which is much lower than the world average.
