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Social worker and Padma Shri awardee Phoolbasan Bai Yadav on Saturday welcomed the Centre's approval of draft amendment bills to operationalise the Women's Reservation Act, saying it marks a transformative step towards women's empowerment and will allow women to directly participate in national decision-making.
Expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister and his government, she said the legislation would significantly expand opportunities for women to raise their voices at the highest level. "On behalf of lakhs of women in Chhattisgarh, I express gratitude to the PM and his team, who have taken such a massive step towards women's empowerment. This will benefit women a lot directly. Sometimes, our thoughts remain confined to just here due to a lack of opportunities, but today, we can go to Parliament and voice our thoughts. I am happy that we can speak up now even in Delhi," Yadav told ANI. Her remarks come amid intensified political debate over the proposed constitutional amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam ahead of the special session of Parliament scheduled to begin on April 16. The Congress on Friday held discussions on the proposed legislation during its Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Delhi, where senior leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, raised concerns over the government's intent, timing, and the proposed delimitation-linked changes. Kharge has alleged that the government is pushing the legislation with political motives ahead of elections and warned that the proposed expansion of parliamentary seats could have far-reaching consequences on India's electoral structure. The Parliament is set to meet for a three-day special session from April 16, with a focus on the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill. The Government has planned two major amendments. 2023's Nari Shakti Vandan Act ties women's reservation to the new census and delimitation. Due to census delays, the plan is to proceed with the 2011 census data. The 2011 census is to be the basis for delimitation and seat redistribution. Lok Sabha seats may increase from 543 to 816 post-amendment. A bill will be introduced in Parliament to amend the Nari Shakti Vandan Act. A separate Delimitation Bill will be introduced. Both bills need to be passed as Constitutional amendments for women's reservation. The new Lok Sabha is likely to have more than 800 seats. Keeping up with the status quo, there is no provision for OBC reservation, and SC/ST reservation will continue. However, states won't have a role; the bill passed by Parliament will apply to them. Currently, the Lok Sabha has 543 seats. With a proposed 50% increase, the number of seats will rise to 816, with 273 (about a third) reserved for women. The government's key point is that they won't wait for a new census to give women, comprising half the country's population, fair representation in Parliament. Instead, delimitation will be done using the 2011 census data. (ANI)
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