All about
the Women's Reservation Bill,
it's history and
progress over
the years
Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Designed by: Manoj Kumar
In a historic decision, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has given its approval to the Women’s Reservation Bill during a Union Cabinet meeting held on Monday. If passed, this legislation could result in a significant milestone - a 33% reservation for women in both Parliament and state legislative assemblies.
Groundbreaking Decision
The Women’s Reservation Bill, formally known as the Constitution 108th Amendment Bill, 2008, ensures to reserve one-third (33%) of seats in state legislative assemblies and Parliament for women. Moreover, the bill proposes sub-reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Anglo-Indians within the 33% quota. The allocation of reserved seats may rotate among different constituencies in a state or union territory.
Understanding the Women’s Reservation Bill
The origins of the Women’s Reservation Bill can be traced back to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1989 when he introduced the Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at providing one-third reservation for women in rural and urban local bodies.
Historical Context
During the early 1990s, Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao reintroduced Constitution Amendment Bills 72 and 73, which mandated one-third (33%) reservation for women in rural and urban local bodies. These bills successfully passed both houses of Parliament, leading to nearly 15 lakh elected women representatives in panchayats and nagarpalikas across India.
Progress in Local Bodies
On September 12, 1996, Prime Minister Deve Gowda's United Front government presented the 81st Constitution Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha, aiming to reserve seats for women in Parliament. However, it did not garner enough support and lapsed with the Lok Sabha's dissolution.
Attempt in Parliament
Subsequent governments, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee's NDA administration, attempted to push the Women's Reservation Bill in the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998 and re-introduced it in 1999, 2002, and 2003, but without success.
Persistence Through Years
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Women's Reservation Bill gained momentum during UPA government-1 in 2004. It was included in the Common Minimum Programme and was tabled in Rajya Sabha on May 6, 2008, to prevent it from lapsing once again.
Progress in UPA Government
Five of the seven recommendations made by the 1996 Geeta Mukherjee Committee were incorporated into this version of the Bill. It received the nod from the Union Cabinet in February 2010 and passed in the Rajya Sabha with a vote of 186-1 on March 9, 2010.
Approval and Standing Committee
Although the Bill was never taken up for consideration in the Lok Sabha and eventually lapsed in 2014 with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, it remains active since bills introduced or passed in Rajya Sabha do not lapse.
Lingering Hope
The forthcoming special session of Parliament presents a renewed opportunity for the Women’s Reservation Bill to potentially become law, marking a significant milestone in promoting gender representation in India's legislative bodies.