President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the women’s reservation bill which seeks to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. According to a law ministry notification issued on Friday, the president gave her assent on Thursday. Now, it will be officially known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act.
According to its provision, It shall come into force on such date as the central government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint. During a special session of Parliament earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described the law as Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha both voted unanimously to pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill. The next census and the accompanying delimitation procedure, or redistricting of Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies, will determine the specific seats being reserved for women, so it will be some time before the law is put into effect. The 15-year benefit term for the women's quota in the Lok Sabha and legislatures can be extended by Parliament.
There have been several efforts to pass the bill in Parliament since 1996. The last such attempt was made in 2010, when the Rajya Sabha had passed a bill for women’s reservation, but the same could not be passed in the Lok Sabha.