Empower them: Women’s Reservation Bill
New Delhi: dhns:
Assuring that the Congress-led UPA government is committed to bring the Women’s
Reservation Bill in the Parliament, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said that
the government is trying to make a consensus among various political parties
before bringing the bill to the House.
Addressing a SAARC conference of women parliamentarians and non governmental
organisation, Mr. Patil said that that UPA government supports the bill and
working towards building a consensus. The much debated and long pending bill
guarantees 33 per cent reservation for women in the Parliament.
The democratic system would work better if there was greater representation of
women at the highest levels of decision-making such as the Parliament, he said.
Going a step forward, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Mrs
Kanti Singh said that the Bill could be introduced in Parliament in the next
session.
A second bill to check domestic violence against women is also being drafted,
she said adding that such a legislation would give women a way out of the
harassment being meted out to them in their households. Amendments would also be
made in the Hindu Marriage Act and Prevention of Immoral Trafficking of Women
Act to ensure women development, Mrs Singh said.
Interestingly when it was pointed out by the Pakistani delegate that there was
33 per cent reservation for women at lower level, 20 per cent in National
Assembly and 18 per cent in Senate, the Home Minister congratulated the
neighbouring country and said India should follow the example set by its
neighbour.
[Deccan Herald: Monday, May 9, 2005]
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may92005/national15057200558.asp