Women's Reservation

Best of BS Opinion: Govt must build consensus for Constitutional amendments

From the setback to the women's quota Bill and rising fertiliser subsidies to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, here is a curated selection of Business Standard's top Opinion pieces today

Shows anti-women mentality: Kiren Rijiju slams Cong after quota bill defeat

A day after a united opposition defeated a Constitution amendment bill to tweak the women's quota law and increase the number of seats in legislatures through delimitation, Parliamentary Affairs Minsiter Kiren Rijiju on Saturday accused the Congress of being anti-women, and said it will have to face their "wrath". "It has been established that the Congress is anti-women... It will have to face the wrath of the women of the country," Rijiju said. "The opposition is celebrating after depriving women of their rights; women of the country will teach them a good lesson," he added. The Union minister also accused the Congress of having an anti-women mentality, and said it stands "exposed" now. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which was defeated in the Lok Sabha, provided for Lok Sabha seats to be increased by up to 50 per cent to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census. Seats wer

Amit Shah slams Oppn as bill essential for women's quota law fails LS test

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday slammed the Congress and its allies for the defeat of a Constitution amendment bill in the Lok Sabha, and said their mindset is neither in the interest of women nor the country. The bill, which failed the LS test, sought to increase the number of seats to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to implement a 33 per cent women's quota in legislative bodies before the 2029 Parliamentary polls. "Rejecting the bill that was essential for 33 per cent reservation to women, celebrating it, and raising victory cries over it was truly reprehensible and beyond imagination," Shah said in a message on X after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lower House on Friday night. "How can anyone celebrate victory after deceiving half the country's population -- 70 crore women -- and losing their trust?" he said. Shah termed the Opposition's rejoicing at the bill's defeat "an insult to every woman" who has been ..

'Time to give half of population its rights': PM Modi on women's quota bill

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday appealed to all Lok Sabha members to vote in favour of the women's reservation bill and to not do anything that might hurt the sentiments of the country's 'nari shakti'. Hours before the voting on the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, Modi also said that for four decades, a great deal of politics has been played on the issue of women's quota and it is now time that half the country's population gets its rights. Members of the Lower House will also vote on the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill for delimitation of constituencies and increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha to 816 to implement the proposed amended women's quota law. "In just a short while, voting will take place in the Lok Sabha. I urge all political parties... I appeal...Please, after due consideration and with complete sensitivity, take a decision and vo

Intent of govt's Bills 'mischievous', must be rejected completely: Congress

The Congress on Thursday said the true intent of the bills being brought by the government in the garb of implementing women's quota law is mischievous and they have to be rejected completely in their present shape and form. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the three bills are being taken up in Lok Sabha and the packaging and marketing is women's reservation but the fundamentals have to do with delimitation. "Many concerns have been raised from across the country regarding the delimitation proposals that privilege a few populous states where the BJP is strong now. The relative strength of a number of states in the Lok Sabha will actually decline," Ramesh said on X. The way delimitation has actually been done in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir shows how "diabolically the Modi-Shah duo work" he said. "The true intent of these Bills is mischievous, their content devious, and their damage enormous. They have to be rejected completely in their present .

Historic step for women empowerment: PM Modi ahead of Parliament session

The Centre has called a special sitting of Parliament from April 16 to 18

Women's Reservation Act to realise visions of past, goals of future: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the Parliament is close to creating "new history" when the Women's Reservation Act will be amended this week for its implementation in 2029. Addressing a conference of women here, ahead of a three-day special sitting of Parliament, where the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is expected to be amended, Modi also said that when the law was introduced in 2023, it was passed unanimously by all parties and there was a collective demand for its implementation by 2029. He said the Opposition, in particular, strongly emphasised the need to ensure the bill is implemented by 2029. "Our country's Parliament is close to creating a new history. A new history that will realise the visions of the past; that will fulfil the resolutions of the future. A resolve for an India that is egalitarian, where social justice is not merely a slogan, but a natural part of our work culture, our decision-making process," he said at the conference named as the 'Nari Shakti ..

Women's reservation bill amendment shouldn't become political tool: Tharoor

Ahead of the special three-day Parliament session when the women's reservation law is expected to be amended, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said the proposed amendments should not be a political tool that undermines federalism and vitiates the vitality of Parliament. In a post on X, he alleged that the government is convening a "special session" to derive political mileage ahead of state polls with an eye on delimitation before the 2029 general elections. He also asserted that Congress is committed to a one-third reservation for women, but the same should be inclusive and fair. Sharing his pictures at the Congress Working Committee (CWC), which met on Friday to take a stand on the proposed amendments to the women's reservation law (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), he said, "While the Congress has always championed the 33% quota, and the first to introduce a Bill and pass it in the Rajya Sabha in 2013, the current government's approach raises serious alarms." The meeting

Congress demands PM Modi's apology over delay in women's reservation

The Congress on Friday alleged that the Modi government's "U-turn" on the implementation of the women's reservation law is aimed at covering up his "monumental failures" in governance and "severe setbacks" to foreign policy. The opposition party claimed that the PM owes an "apology" to the women of India as he did not accept the Congress' demand of implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, from the 2024 polls itself. "Actually he owes an apology to the women of India. When the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 was passed by Parliament in 2023 unanimously, the Indian National Congress had demanded its implementation from 2024 itself," Ramesh said on X. But this was not acceptable to the PM who made the reservation dependent on the delimitation and census exercises that he had failed to conduct and then dithered on for many years, the Congress leader said. Ramesh claimed that 30 months later, facing defeat in the assembly elections, in spite of the Election Commission ..

SC bench hears pleas on discrimination against women at religious places

A nine-judge Supreme Court bench on Tuesday commenced hearing on petitions related to discrimination against women at religious places, including Sabarimala temple of Keralam, and on the ambit and scope of religious freedom practised by multiple faiths. The Constitution bench comprises Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices B V Nagarathna, M M Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, Augustine George Masih, Prasanna B Varale, R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi. Ahead of the hearing, the Centre filed written submissions and requested the top court to uphold restriction on the entry of women of menstruating age into Sabarimala temple. The Union of India said the issue falls squarely within the domain of religious faith and denominational autonomy, and lies beyond the scope of judicial review. In September 2018, a five-judge Constitution bench, by a 4:1 majority verdict, had lifted the ban that prevented women between the age of 10 and 50 from entering the Ayyappa shrine at Sabarima

Eyes on polls, Bihar Cabinet clears 35% government job quota for women

Another scheme for youth cleared by the Bihar Cabinet includes financial incentives of ₹50,000 and ₹1 lakh for differently abled preparing for main exam and interview of BPSC and UPSC

Madhya Pradesh govt to provide 35% reservation for women in govt jobs

The state government has made amendment to the Madhya Pradesh Civils Services (Special Provision for Appointment of Women) Rules, 1997 to give 35% reservation to women

BJP's Kishan Reddy attacks BRS over friendship with 'anti-women' AIMIM

Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddy has sought to know how the ruling BRS can maintain a friendship with the AIMIM which voted against the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament. Though the issue of women's reservation has been a part of public discourse in the country for many decades, no party or leader has been able to take it to its logical end, he told reporters on Sunday. "Modi is the leader who took revolutionary decisions on pending issues, including taxation, Article 370, Ram Janmabhoomi and construction of toilets for poor in the last nine years," he said. The bill -- which allocates one-third of the seats in Lok Sabha, State legislative assemblies and the Delhi assembly for women -- was passed in the new Parliament building as per the Centre's decision, he said. Unfortunately, Hyderabad-based AIMIM was the only party to vote against the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament, Reddy pointed out. Describing AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi as the "guru" of CM K ...

BJP to campaign on women's reservation Bill in 50,000 villages of Odisha

The BJP on Saturday announced that it will launch an awareness campaign on the Women's Reservation Bill in all 50,000 villages of Odisha and highlight Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts towards women empowerment. This was announced by senior party leader and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in presence of BJP state president Manmohan Samal. "The party will rope in local organisations to hold awareness meetings in 50,000 villages in Odisha. At present, Lok Sabha has 81 women MPs which will increase to 182 after the implementation of the bill. While the Odisha Assembly has 18 women MLAs, it will increase to 49," Pradhan told reporters here at the BJP's state headquarters. The bill to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women received the parliamentary nod on Thursday as the Rajya Sabha unanimously voted in its favour. The Lok Sabha passed it on Wednesday. It will now require the approval of a majority of the state assemblies. The ..

Mallikarjun Kharge labels BJP as 'liars' over women's reservation Bill

Earlier on Wednesday, the Bill got the nod of the Lok Sabha as it was passed with a brute majority of 454 votes in favour and just 2 against

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 representation in policymaking set to increase, says Anurag Thakur

With the passing of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam bill, women's representation in policymaking is also set to increase significantly, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said here on Saturday. Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as saying "Yahi Samay Hai, Sahi Samay Hai", he urged the women to come forward, "chase your dreams, grab the opportunities available all around, and take India forward to the status of a developed country by 2047." "The special session of the Parliament was truly historic as we moved to the new parliament building and the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam bill got passed," Thakur, who is also Youth Affairs and Sports Minister said at an interaction with the youth at the PSG College of Arts and Sciences, Coimbatore. Under the leadership of the PM, sincere efforts have been made to empower women and provide them with opportunities. "The result is clearly visible, as today our #NariShakti is represented in the Army, Navy, and Air ...

Delimitation poor excuse for postponement of women's quota Bill: Jairam

Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh said the delimitation exercise and caste census "poor excuses for the postponement" of the Women's Reservation Bill

Caste census to delimitation: Highlights on Women Reservation Bill debate

Sonia Gandhi leads the debate, parties try to claim credit for Bill, MPs call for caste census and question role of delimitation

Lok Sabha unanimously passes historic Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023

454 members voted in favour of the Bill, while two voted against it.