Salient features of Women Reservation Bill 2023
Almost all educated Indians know that the Union Government convened special session of both Houses of the Parliament for five days in September 2023. In the newly-constructed grand building of the Indian Parliament, the first bill which was brought is Women's Reservation Bill 2023 (Correct name: Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam). The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha with overwhelming majority (only two AIMIM members voted against it) and and unanimously in the Rajya Sabha. Now, the Bill has been sent for the assent of the President.We all know that the issue of better representation of women in the Parliament is being discussed since 1987, and thanks to opposition of some particular political parties, this bill could not come into force earlier.
Even now, when we are almost certain that the Bill will get the assent of the President and become an Act very soon, some people are criticizing the present Bill and some others are celebrating this Bill calling it historic.
I also want that the erudite members of ISC discuss this Bill (to be an Act very soon) on this august platform of ISC. But before that, we all must know the salient features of the Bill.
I am trying to mention the salient features of this historic Bill, point-wise. I admit that to write this Forum thread, I have taken help from a reliable website, prsindia.org (about which I mentioned in a recent Forum post of mine).
So, the salient features of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam are:
This Bill is 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill.
I. Reservation for Women in Lok Sabha
(a) The Bill provides for inserting Article 330A to the Constitution, which extensively borrows from the provisions of Article 330, which deals with reservation of seats to SCs/STs in the Lok Sabha.
(b) The Bill provides that reserved seats for women may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in States or in Union Territories.
(c) In the seats reserved for SCs/STs, the Bill seeks to provide one-third of the seats to be reserved for women on rotational basis.
II. Reservation for Women in State Legislative Assemblies
(a) The Bill introduces Article 332A, which provides for the reservation of seats for women in every State Legislative Assembly.
(b) Additionally, one-third of the seats reserved for SCs and STs must be allocated for women, and one-third of the total seats filled through direct elections to the Legislative Assemblies shall also be reserved for women.
III. Reservation for Women in NCT of Delhi ( New clause in Article 239AA)
(a) Article 239AA to the Constitution grants special status to the Union Territory of Delhi as National Capital Region with regards to its administrative and legislative functioning.
(b) Article 239AA(2)(b) has been amended by the Bill accordingly to add that the laws framed by Parliament shall apply to the National Capital Region of Delhi.
IV. Commencement of Reservation (New Article 334A)
(i) The reservation will be effective after the census conducted after the commencement of this Bill has been published. Based on the census, delimitation will be undertaken to reserve seats for women.
(ii) The reservation will be provided for a period of 15 years. However, it shall continue till such date as determined by a law made by Parliament.
V. Rotation of Seats
Seats reserved for women both in the Lok Sabha and in the State Legislative Assemblies will be rotated after each delimitation, as determined by a law made by Parliament.
I sincerely hope that the above information will initiate and further help healthy debate about this Bill among the members of ISC.