New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) may move a resolution for the long-awaited Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha in the last week of the ongoing budget session of Parliament.
The Bill seeks to reserve one-third of the seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures. The TMC’s push for the Women’s Reservation Bill is seen as a political move by the party, which is led by TMC chief and currently the only woman chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and has 34 per cent women MPs in its parliamentary team.
“The TMC government in West Bengal recognizes the vital role of our women in the development of our society and the development of the nation. It is committed to providing them 33% reservation in Parliament and state legislatures,” said TMC member Derek O’Brien, who is likely to move a motion in the Rajya Sabha on Monday under Rule 168 of the House.
The notice mentions that India has slipped 28 places to 140th among 156 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021, mainly due to a significant drop in the share of women among ministers, which in 2019 decreased from 23% to 9.1%. in 2021. The share is currently up 14%. ,
The notice further said, India’s rank among women of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in the ranking of national parliaments has steadily deteriorated over the years. India was ranked 95 in 1998. As of March 2022, India is ranked 144 out of 184 countries.
“The central government has its own priorities. It wants to take forward the Criminal Identification Bill and the MCD Act. We are asking them why women empowerment is not on their agenda? O’Brien noted.
The current Lok Sabha has 15% women MPs while the Rajya Sabha has 12.2%. The Trinamool leader remarked that this is less than the global average of 25.5%, adding that only 8% of the total MLAs are women in all states of India.
Last week, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju said gender justice is an important commitment of the government and said that the Women’s Reservation Bill needs to be agreed among all political parties before it is brought for amendment in Parliament. the wanted. Constitution.
The Women’s Reservation Bill, which was first introduced in Parliament in 1996, came closest to passage in 2008 when the Rajya Sabha cleared the law, but the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government rejected it amid a lack of consensus. Not brought in Lok Sabha. his associates.
