Women’s Reservation Bill Cleared by the Union Cabinet

What is the Women’s Reservation Bill?

On 18th September 2023, the Union Cabinet approved the Women's Reservation Bill (WRB). This bill aims to reserve one-third (33%) of the seats in the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies for women.

The bill will be active for fifteen years from its implementation. After fifteen years, it will be checked for any changes or extensions.

When will the Bill come into effect?

A bill becomes a law when both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha approve it, and the President signs it. At the moment, only the Union Cabinet has approved the bill.

The government introduced the WRB in the Lok Sabha on 19th September 2023. This bill is expected to pass in the next few days. If passed, it might come into effect by 2029.

Can you tell me about the Bill’s history?

In 1992 and 1993, two Acts reserved one-third of the seats in rural and urban local bodies for women. As a result, we have 15 lakh women representatives in local government bodies of our country.

In 1998, the NDA government introduced the WRB Bill, but it didn't work. In 2008, the UPA government presented the bill in the Rajya Sabha. Still, the bill was never discussed in the Lok Sabha and lapsed after the Lok Sabha’s dissolution in 2014.

Why is such a Bill necessary?

We do not have many women politicians in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Some State Assemblies have very few women representatives. This bill can improve equality in politics by giving women a better chance of getting elected.

Women’s reservations can work towards social issues like violence against women, healthcare, education, etc. This is because women leaders can fight for the rights of the country’s women.

So, what are your thoughts on this Bill? Tell us in the comments.