In a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi, the Womens Reservation Bill received approval, according to sources on Monday. The bill is expected to be presented in the special parliament during the forthcoming session.This decision comes after demand from several parties, including the Congress, during an all-party meeting held on Sunday, September 17. The government, however, has not issued an official response.Womens Reservation Bill cleared in Union Cabinet meeting, says sources pic.twitter.com/UpJgmrK6EF— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2023 Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury stated after the meeting, “All opposition parties called for the enactment of the womens reservation bill in this session of Parliament”.BJP ally and NCP leader Praful Patel added, “We urge the government to pass the womens reservation bill in this session of Parliament”. Various regional parties, including the BJD and the BRS, have also advocated for the bills introduction. BJD MP Pinaki Misra expressed the view that a new era should commence in the new Parliament building with the passage of the womens reservation bill.Notably, BRS leader Kavitha has been a vocal advocate for the bills passage. In March 2023, she staged a hunger strike and led protests alongside leaders from other political parties and civil society organizations across India to renew the call for the bills passage.#WATCH | Hyderabad: It is a brainchild of Deve Gowda and he tried his best to introduce it then the Congress party said that they would try their luck, they did and they passed it in Rajya Sabha, that credit we all always gave to Sonia Gandhi. Now in the last 16 years, however,… pic.twitter.com/dZ5IyZiMx0— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2023 What is Womens Reservation BillThe proposed bill aims to allocate one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies to female candidates. Current data reveals that women MPs make up less than 15 percent of the Lok Sabhas composition, and their representation in many state assemblies is below 10 percent. This highlights the renewed effort to pass the Womens Reservation Bill, which has been pending for nearly 27 years since its initial introduction in Parliament on September 12, 1996.
