Page 2 - Women Reservation Bill

Despite legislative progress, gender issues still on margins: Experts

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the discourse surrounding women's issues has garnered renewed attention with the slogan of 'Nari Shakti' but several activists are apprehensive that the core concerns of women may again get subdued in the broader economic and political debates. There is a need for political parties to prioritise gender-sensitive policies, not merely as token gestures but as integral components of their core agendas, Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the Population Foundation of India (PFI) said, criticising the "marginalisation" of women's issues within the broader electoral discourse. "To truly empower women and address their unique concerns, it is imperative that political parties and leaders integrate gender-sensitive policies into their core agendas and manifestoes as a priority. "This includes not only increasing women's representation in political spaces but also ensuring that their voices are heard and acted upon in decision-making processes," she ..

No one can stop women from reaching Parl, state assemblies now: CM Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said no one can stop women from reaching the state assemblies and Parliament now. He said this while discussing the Nari Shakti Vandan Act during an address after launching the "Shakti Vandan Abhiyan" organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here. "The Nari Shakti Vandan Act (Women's Reservation Act) will be implemented across the state," Adityanath said. Under the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, there is a provision for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Adityanath said "after this Act, no political party can stop women from reaching the legislative assemblies and Parliament". According to an official statement, the chief guest of the programme was BJP's national secretary Vijaya Rahatkar. On the Ram temple's consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, Adityanath said it has been achieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a long battle of 500

Reply to Cong leader's plea in 2 weeks: SC to govt on women's reservation

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to respond within two weeks to a plea by a Congress leader seeking immediate implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Act-2023 so that one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies can be reserved for women before the general elections due this year. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta allowed the Centre time after its advocate Kanu Agrawal said the government needs some time to file a comprehensive reply. Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for petitioner Jaya Thakur, said the court should issue a direction to ensure that the law can be implemented before the general elections. Justice Khanna said the court cannot pass a direction and this stage and asked Singh to wait for the Centre's reply. When advocate Prashant Bhushan said he wanted to file a petition on the issue, the bench told him his plea, being a fresh matter, can only be assigned to a bench by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. It posted the mat

2023: Battle lines drawn in Indian politics and beyond - a year review

The Opposition bloc taking shape after a Congress push, BJP's sweep in the Hindi heartland, and suspension of MPs protesting over Parliament security breach set the stage for an intense 2024 showdown

Bill to reserve one-third seats for women in J-K assembly introduced in LS

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 was introduced in the House by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai

Increased women representation in 2023 state polls, 46% MLAs retain seats

There is a rise in the number of women elected to the five state legislatures in 2023 compared to 2018, except in Rajasthan

20 women candidates win in Rajasthan; strength lower than outgoing assembly

Twenty of the 50 women candidates emerged victorious in Rajasthan on Sunday, with their strength in the House marginally going down as compared to the outgoing assembly. Of the winning women candidates, nine each were from the BJP and the Congress and two were Independents. There were a total of 50 women candidates in the fray this time, 20 fielded by the BJP, 28 by the Congress and two Independents. The nine winning Congress candidates were Shimla Devi (Anupugarh), Sushila Dudi (Nokha), Rita Chaudhary (Mandawa), Shika Meel Barala (Chomu), Shobharani Kushwah (Dholpur), Anita Jatav (Hindaun), Indra (Bamanwas), Geeta Barwar (Bhopalgarh), and Ramila Khadia (Kushalgarh). The BJP's women candidates who emerged victorious were Diya Kumari (Vidhyadhar Nagar), Anita Bhadel (Ajmer South), Manju Baghmar (Jayal), Shobha Chauhan (Sojat), Deepti Kiran Maheshwari (Rajsamand), Kalpna Devi (Ladpura), Vasundhara Raje (Jhalrapatan), Siddhi Kumari (Bikaner East), Nauksham Chaudhary (Kaman). Ritu Ban

Steady progress over the years but election fight still tough for women

Even if they win in a contest, it is not certain that political parties will field them again

INDIA bloc for enforcing women's bill soon, Stalin bats for sub-quota

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said the opposition INDIA alliance's goal is early implementation of the women's reservation bill recently passed by the Parliament and asserted the bloc would fight for it. Reiterating his unity pitch to dislodge the BJP regime at the Centre, DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin accused the Saffron party of "conspiracy" while batting for internal reservation for OBCs and minorities in the reservation for women in legislative bodies. "The INDIA bloc is not merely an electoral alliance but an ideological alliance," he said at the Women's Rights Conference organised by the ruling DMK here on Saturday. The event saw the participation of key women INDIA leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mehbooba Mufti and Supriya Sule. Stalin said the BJP can be defeated only through unity and Tamil Nadu has shown the way since the 2019 LS election. "A united alliance, like the one in Tamil Nadu, should be formed in every state

We are going to fight for implementation of Women's Reservation bill: Sonia

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday asserted the INDIA alliance would fight for the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill passed recently by the Parliament. Addressing the ruling DMK's Women's rights conference here, she said the late Rajiv Gandhi brought the historic 33 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati raj, the local self-governments which spurred an entirely new phenomenon of women leadership at the grassroots level. It was a vital stepping stone towards the reservation on a similar one thirds of seats in the legislative bodies which the Congress pioneered in Parliament and outside. Now the Women's Reservation Bill has finally been passed due to "our relentless persistence and efforts; of all of us, not just the Congress." However, "as we all know it is still a long way to come." She recalled the interventions made in the Parliament by opposition MPs on the actual implementation of the Bill, whether it would be in one year, two or three years.

What's point of women's quota Bill if not implemented immediately: Priyanka

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said the BJP-led Union government was treating women as a "joke" as the newly enacted legislation which reserves seats for them in legislatures can not be implemented for ten years. Speaking at a rally at Mohankheda in Dhar district of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, she asked why the government brought in the bill at this stage if the quota could not be put into effect immediately. The BJP-led Union government brought in the women's reservation bill.... all of us Opposition parties also supported it.Then we learnt that it will not be implemented for ten years, before that the census will be conducted. Then what was the point of this announcement?.....You are treating women as a joke," Gandhi said. The government will have to carry out the delimitation exercise before implementing the new Act (which reserves 33 per cent seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures), and this will take ten years, the Congress leader .

The quota within quota: Has the process of class supplanting caste begun?

Political parties and jaatis are re-evaluating caste politics in the wake of a generational shift in leadership

LIVE: Vande Bharat train to be cleaned in 14 minutes, says Railway ministry

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SP to reserve 20% tickets for women in MP polls, says Akhilesh Yadav

Lashing out at BJP, SP supremo said, the intentions of BJP are never clear and they are spreading false propaganda about reservation

LIVE: Women's reservation is the victory of BJP's ideology, says PM Modi

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Ahead of PM's Bhopal visit, Uma Bharti calls for OBC quota in women's Bill

On Monday, Uma Bharti stated on social media that she expects the Prime Minister to give a positive signal on OBC reservation for women

Cong to hold press conferences in 21 cities to 'expose' govt on women quota

The Congress will hold press conferences in 21 cities on Monday in which 21 women leaders will "expose the Modi government" on the issue of women's reservation, the party said. While MP Rajani Patil will hold a press conference in Ahmedabad, Mahila Congress chief Netta D'Souza will hold a presser in Hyderabad. Ranjeet Ranjan will hold a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Alka Lamba in Jaipur, Amee Yagnik in Mumbai, Ragini Nayak in Ranchi and Shama Mohamed in Srinagar, among others. Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said press conferences will be held in 21 cities by 21 women leaders. "Agenda - to expose the treachery by the Modi government in the name of women's reservation," he said in a post on X.

Women reservation benefit only possible in 2034, says Kapil Sibal

Hitting out at the Modi government, former Union law minister Kapil Sibal on Sunday said the earliest the women's reservation can come into effect is 2034 Lok Sabha elections, alleging it was brought with an eye on the upcoming state and Lok Sabha polls. The Rajya Sabha MP made the remarks in his new 'Dil Se' initiative under which he will engage fortnightly in a conversation with a journalist on important issues. In the first episode he posted on social media, Sibal took questions on the women's reservation bill, the row over BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri's derogatory remarks against BSP MP Danish Ali, and his views on the new Parliament building. Asked about Bidhuri's remarks, Sibal said the BJP MP must be "expelled" from parliament. "I have not seen this in my 30-year-long career in parliament. Never seen such foul language, such venom and I was even surprised and shocked by the person presiding, who said I would look at the record and then delete it. I just don't understand this," Siba

New paths for women's development will open: PM Modi on quota Bill

Adding that the Women's Reservation Bill was passed in Parliament with record votes, PM Modi said, "This MP from your Kashi has got this good fortune due to your blessings"

Women's reservation Bill is a transformative piece of legislation: USISPF

A bill to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lower House of India's Parliament and state assemblies for women is a transformative piece of legislation and a push for gender parity and egalitarianism, the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has said. In a statement issued on Friday, USISPF president Mukesh Aghi also underlined the importance of having more women at the top of decision-making bodies in the world's largest democracy. The watershed bill received the Parliamentary nod on Thursday as Rajya Sabha voted unanimously in favour of it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the MPs for supporting the legislation and said once more women assume leadership roles and join the nation-building process, they will become a guarantee of the country's bright future. Aghi said, "This is a major step by the Indian government and the honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in achieving gender equality and increased representation." India was one of the first countries in