Right time has come for women’s quota: Gujarat Minister

Gandhinagar, April 14 Gujarat Women and Child Development Minister Manisha Vakil on Tuesday said that the right time has come to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies.

She remarked that the Central government is preparing for key discussions on the implementation framework of the women’s reservation legislation, Narishakti Vandan Abhiniyam, during the upcoming special parliamentary session beginning April 16.

Addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar, Vakil said the proposed Women’s Reservation Bill marks a significant step towards strengthening women’s participation in governance and should now move towards effective implementation.

She said women constitute nearly half of India’s population and must receive adequate representation in elected institutions.

“33 per cent reservation for women must be given,” Vakil said, adding that all political parties would participate in the discussions scheduled to take place in Parliament in New Delhi.

She noted that when the proposal was first placed in 2023, political parties had expressed their respective views, and the issue had since remained under consideration.

Referring to the upcoming proceedings, she said the sessions on April 16, 17 and 18 would be particularly significant for women’s political representation.

Vakil said the proposed structural framework for the Lok Sabha would bring “beneficial changes” for women and strengthen their role in decision-making.

“Women are ahead in every field today,” she said, adding that their participation in governance would be further enhanced through the legislative provision.

She also said that a dedicated discussion on the Women’s Reservation framework would take place in Parliament on April 16, with participation from all political parties expected.

Vakil further said that the implementation of the law would follow a defined constitutional process and timeline linked to future electoral exercises, indicating that the reservation would come into effect in a later phase after the required procedural steps are completed.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, provides for reserving one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, along with horizontal reservation for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes within their respective categories.

The implementation of the law is linked to a delimitation exercise to be undertaken after the first census conducted following its commencement, meaning its operational rollout is expected after constituency redrawing and subsequent elections.

The special session of Parliament, scheduled from April 16 to 18, is expected to focus on enabling provisions and procedural steps for implementation, alongside wider deliberations on representation and electoral reforms linked to the legislation.

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