Cabinet Clears Bills to Fast-Track Women's Reservation
Context:
The Union Cabinet has cleared proposed Constitutional amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and a Delimitation Bill.
These measures aim to fast-track the implementation of a 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies by utilizing 2011 Census data.
Key Provisions and Proposed Changes:
Delinking from New Census:
The government will introduce multiple Bills to decouple the implementation of the women's quota from the pending, incomplete Census exercise, instead relying on the 2011 Census.
Delimitation and Seat Increase:
A cleared Delimitation Bill proposes a massive 50% increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
Under this proposal, Lok Sabha seats would rise from 543 to 816, allowing exactly 273 seats to be reserved for women.
A separate Bill will be introduced to apply these changes to Union Territories.
Constitutional Amendments:
Implementing this expansion requires amending current Constitutional provisions that cap the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha at 550.
Implementation Timeline:
The 50% increase in Lok Sabha strength is targeted to take effect by the next general elections in 2029.
The Bills are slated for introduction during a special parliamentary session scheduled from April 16 to 18.