Why the controversy over the old women’s reservation bill, what is special in the new one? Understand complete ABCD from FAQ

Women Reservation Bill: in indian politics women The demand to increase participation has been rising for decades. Despite having half the population of the country, the number of women in Parliament and Assemblies has been very limited till now. With the aim of removing this imbalance, the issue of women’s reservation has repeatedly become the center of national debate.

Now a new hope has arisen in this direction in the form of ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act’. This proposal claims to give women a stronger presence in politics, but many questions are being raised regarding the process and time frame of its implementation.

Question: When was it presented for the first time?

answer: The Women’s Reservation Bill was first introduced in 1996, which was called the 81st Constitutional Amendment Bill. In this bill, it was proposed to reserve 33 percent seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. At that time there was a United Front government at the Centre. After this, this bill was presented in Parliament several times, but every time it could not be passed due to some reason or the other. It was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, but could not be approved in the Lok Sabha and the matter remained in limbo.

Question: Why was there protest against the old bill?

answer: There were differences of opinion among many political parties regarding the Women’s Reservation Bill. Some parties said that there is no provision of separate reservation for backward class women, due to which its benefits will be limited to a limited section only. Apart from this, some leaders also argued that political parties themselves should give more tickets to women, there is no need to make a law for this. There was also opposition regarding the rotation of seats, as it was feared that this would affect the leaders’ connection with their area.

Question: Where is the bill applicable?

answer: Women reservation is already implemented in India at the Panchayat and Municipal body level. Under the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments, one-third seats were reserved for women. Many states have increased it to 50 percent. This initiative has also yielded positive results. Lakhs of women participated in local politics and worked effectively on issues like education, sanitation and health. On the basis of this experience, the demand for reservation in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies also became stronger.

Question: What are the main points of the new bill?

answer: There is also a provision of 33 percent reservation in the Nari Shakti Vandan Act. This will be applicable in both Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Under this, women of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe will also get the benefit of reservation. The period of this reservation has been fixed at 15 years, which can be extended if necessary.

Question: Why did the controversy arise over the delay of the bill?

answer: The biggest difference between the old and new bill is in the way it is implemented. The new law will not be implemented immediately. For this, first census will be conducted in the country and after that the process of delimitation will be completed. Under delimitation, there will be reassignment of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats, due to which the number of seats may also increase. Reservation will be implemented only after both these processes. This delay is also becoming a major reason for criticism of this bill.

Question: Why is this bill important?

answer: This bill is being considered as a historic step towards women empowerment. At present the share of women in the Lok Sabha is about 14 percent, which can increase to 33 percent after the implementation of this law. If reports are to be believed, increasing participation of women will give more priority to social issues in policy making, which will directly benefit the common people.