Women’s Reservation Bill gets Cabinet approval

NEW DELHI:  The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the Women’s Reservation Bill on Monday Sources suggested that the bill might be presented in the new Parliament building later this week, in response to demands from both the Opposition and ruling coalition members. Earlier in the day, PM Modi hinted at important decisions to be made in the new Parliament.

Although there’s no official government briefing, it’s reported that the cabinet had a comprehensive discussion on the bill. The Women’s Reservation Bill aims to reserve 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, promoting their participation in decision-making.

This decision is crucial as it comes ahead of the highly competitive April elections, with the government seeking to gain favour with female voters who make up half of the electorate. Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi, S. Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nitin Gadkari, and Arjun Ram Meghwal, attended the cabinet meeting.

Speculation about various bills, including the Women’s Reservation Bill, has been rife since the special parliamentary session was announced. PM Modi hinted at the session’s potential for historic decisions and emphasized the contribution of women parliamentarians during his address on the 75th anniversary of Parliament.

Leaders of various parties extended support for the bill during a pre-session all-party meeting. Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to making the right decision at the right time.

Currently, women represent only 15% of the Lok Sabha, with 78 women out of 543 members. The Rajya Sabha has approximately 14% women representation. The Women's Reservation Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but has been pending for 27 years.