Modi Cabinet Approves Women’s Reservation Bill:
In a momentous decision, the Union Cabinet, on Monday, approved the Women’s Reservation Bill (WRB).
Prahlad Patel, the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, and Jal Shakti confirmed this significant development on a social media platform but later deleted the post.
He had originally posted, “Only the Modi government had the moral courage to meet the demand for women’s reservation, as demonstrated by the cabinet’s approval. Kudos to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accolades to the Modi government.”
The Constitution Amendment Bill aims to allocate one-third (33 percent) of the total seats in state legislative Assemblies and Parliament for women. The bill also suggests a sub-reservation within the 33 percent quota for SCs and STs. These reserved seats may be rotated among different constituencies in the state or union territory.
Reacting to this development, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted on social media, “The Congress party has long advocated for the implementation of women’s reservation. We appreciate the news of the Union Cabinet’s decision and are looking forward to the specifics of the Bill. It would have been beneficial if this matter had been deliberated in an all-party meeting prior to the Special Session, allowing for the formation of a consensus rather than operating in a secretive manner.”
Numerous governments, including those led by Rajiv Gandhi, Deve Gowda, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh, had attempted to pass a law on women’s reservation but faced strong opposition from parties in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
While most of their bills expired without becoming law, the Manmohan Singh government introduced the Bill in the Rajya Sabha on May 6, 2008, to prevent it from lapsing.
The Rajya Sabha approved the Bill on March 9, 2010, with 186 votes in favor and one opposing it. However, the Bill was not taken up in the Lok Sabha before its term ended. It’s worth noting that Bills passed in the Rajya Sabha do not expire.
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