While taking my first oath as a minister, I looked around the packed room and made a count. The number of women present could be counted on a single hand. This visual left a mark as a clear indication of the long distance women were yet to traverse in the public sphere.
I belong to a small village in coastal Karnataka where women have always shown resilience. I know what it meant to channel that strength into public life. Not every woman gets such a chance.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was passed in September 2023. Now comes the difficult part: keeping the word. A democracy which cannot ensure half its citizens are a part of decision-making remains a work in progress. The Adhiniyam is an important step towards completing this endeavour.
When women are at the table, the focus of legislation changes. Panchayati raj institutions, where 33% reservation for women was implemented decades ago, show a measurable shift in priorities. More budgets were allocated to water, health, education and nutrition. There was less tolerance for corruption, more accountability to communities.
I have heard the argument that women should rise “on their own merit”. I respect the sentiment, but I reject the premise. Merit does not exist in a vacuum. It flourishes where opportunity exists.
For generations, structural barriers—social, economic and cultural—have kept brilliant women out of politics. Women were initially dismissed when they entered panchayats in large numbers. Eventually, in study after study, they were rated as more effective, more accessible and more honest than their male counterparts. When given a fair chance, women lead.
My experience in government has taught me that those in the room determine what is discussed. Women legislators push for maternal health funding when it would otherwise be cut. They flag the gendered impact of policies. They bring constituency concerns that male colleagues simply do not encounter.
A third reservation in Parliament and state Assemblies means that these voices will not be exceptional. They will be structural. Permanent. Impossible to ignore.
This is a moment that belongs to all of us—not to any one party, but to Parliament as an institution. What we owe to the women of India now is urgency—in conducting the Census, completing delimitation and ensuring not a day is lost.
I understand the concerns around implementation, rotation of reserved seats, proxy candidates, sunset clauses. These are legitimate debates, but we need to ensure that this gets immediate attention. The principle is sound. The need is urgent. Let us not allow the perfect to be an enemy of the transformative.
Shobha Karandlaje
Union Minister of State for MSME, Labour and Employment