Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak in the Lok Sabha on the Women’s Reservation Constitutional Amendment Bill on April 16, and is expected to provide the legislators with a detailed roadmap regarding the bill, sources familiar with the development told India Today.
The centre recently convened a special three-day session of Parliament from April 16 to 18 to introduce amendments that would enable 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies before 2029, instead of the current timeline linked to post-2027 Census delimitation.
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Sources further revealed that during the discussion on the bill, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will reply to the discussion surrounding the bill. The discussion and the voting on the proposed bill will take place in the Lok Sabha on April 16 and 17, while in the Rajya Sabha, it will occur on April 18 and April 19.
A total of 18 and 10 hours has been allocated in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for the discussion on the bill in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, respectively.
WHAT IS WOMEN’S RESERVATIONS BILL?
The amendment aims to increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 from the existing 543, with 273 seats reserved for women. The original law had stipulated that the reservation would only come into effect following a fresh census and delimitation exercise.
The bill works in line with the Women’s Reservation Act that was passed in 2023. The act ensures a 33 per cent reservation for women in both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, but it has yet to be implemented due to the pending delimitation exercise.
Meanwhile, the bill has triggered a major political controversy, with several political parties criticising the government for the proposed delimitation exercise, stating that it will reduce their representation of the non-Hindi speaking states’ representation in the Parliament. MK Stalin’s DMK has been at the forefront of criticising the centre.
If the government proceeds to implement the reservation before delimitation, another constitutional amendment will be required.
Parliament will need to amend Section 5 of the Act, which currently links women’s reservation to a delimitation exercise following the first census after the law’s commencement. As a constitutional change, Article 368(2) mandates approval in both Houses by a majority of total members and at least two-thirds of those present and voting.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
