No decision yet on legislation for 50 pc women's reservation in ULBs: Govt

No decision has been taken by the government on bringing in a central legislation to ensure 50 per cent reservation for women in urban local bodies (ULBs), Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed Parliament today.

The minister's written remarks came in response to a query raised in the Lok Sabha. "No decision has been taken in this regard," Puri said.

Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tripura and Telangana have 50 per cent reservation for women in their ULBs, he added.

To a separate query, Puri said the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd submitted a proposal on the Phase-IV to the ministry and appraisal of the same had started.

"Since the proposal of the Phase-IV project has not yet been approved, the time for commissioning, completion, budget and source for funding cannot be given," he added.

In May 2016, then minister for rural development, panchayati raj and drinking water and sanitation Birendra Singh had reportedly said a proposed legislation was on the cards that year to reserve 50 per cent of the seats in rural and urban local bodies for women.

Currently, a third of the seats in all local bodies are reserved for women as per the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution of India passed in 1993.

Over the years, various states have increased this quota to 50 per cent in panchayati raj institutions and a few of them have extended it to even urban local bodies.

The Constitution (110th Amendment) Bill, 2009 and the Constitution (112th Amendment) Bill, 2009 to reserve half the seats in all rural and urban local bodies for women was first introduced in Parliament by UPA-II.

However, it lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha.