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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday termed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam a transformative reform aimed at enhancing women's participation in governance and strengthening democratic institutions.
Speaking to ANI, Yadav said the legislation reflects the strong commitment of the Government of India towards women-led development and inclusive growth. He noted that the Act would ensure greater representation of women in legislative bodies, enabling them to actively contribute to policymaking and national progress. "Nari Shakti Vandan Act is actually a big decision for our sisters, for democracy. This is a revolutionary decision of PM Modi. Half of our population will benefit from it... This is a big decision, and the Parliament will benefit from it," he said. Highlighting the broader impact of the move, the Chief Minister said the increased participation of women in politics would lead to more balanced and people-centric decision-making. He added that "empowering women at all levels remains a key priority for both the Centre and the state government". Yadav further expressed confidence that the legislation would pave the way for social transformation by encouraging greater inclusion and equality. He said, "The initiative would inspire more women, especially from rural and marginalised communities, to step forward and take leadership roles in public life". This comes as the Opposition parties have expressed their concerns about the proposed delimitation bill, alleging that it will limit the representation of the southern states in the Lok Sabha. Opposition parties have also objected to the government's "rushing" of the bill before the general census. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women legislators, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha. The government is planning to implement the women's reservation ahead of the 2029 General Elections by bringing in an amendment to the 2023 Act and a constitutional amendment to delink the delimitation process from the 2027 census. According to sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats proposed for the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present. The Centre has called a special sitting of Parliament from April 16 to 18. While the seats in the Lok Sabha will witness a 50 per cent increase, the opposition parties have expressed concern as this increase will not be on a pro-rata basis for each state. The delimitation exercise, under Article 82 of the Constitution, is linked to the population of a constituency. (ANI)
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