Women's Quota Bill receives nod from President Droupadi Murmu, becomes law

The womens reservation Bill passed by the Parliament last week became law after it received assent from President Droupadi MurmuThe Nari Shakti Vandan Adhniyam which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha as well as the state legislative assemblies was unanimously passed by the Rajya Sabha becoming the first bill to be passed in the new Parliament buildingOn September 20 the Bill was passed following division with 454 members voting in favour of the legislation and two against it on the motion seeking its passageThe amendments moved by the Opposition members were negatived and separate clauses of the draft legislation were also voted onOn September 21 Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was unanimously passed in Rajya Sabha which marks the PMs birthday according to the Hindu calendarWomen members from both Houses of Parliament including PT Usha and Union Ministers Meenakashi Lekhi and Smriti Irani were all smiles as they presented a bouquet to Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the historic passage of the Bill in ParliamentThe Rajya Sabha had earlier passed the Womens Reservation Bill in 2010 during the Congressled UPA government but it was not taken up in the Lok Sabha and subsequently lapsed in the lower House of ParliamentAfter the Bill cleared the legislative hurdles in both Houses last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament will usher in an era of stronger representation and empowerment for women in the countryA defining moment in our nations democratic journey Congratulations to 140 crore Indians I thank all the Rajya Sabha MPs who voted for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam Such unanimous support is indeed gladdening With the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in Parliament we usher in an era of stronger representation and empowerment for the women of India This is not merely a legislation it is a tribute to the countless women who have made our nation India has been enriched by their resilience and contributions As we celebrate today we are reminded of the strength courage and indomitable spirit of all the women of our nation This historic step is a commitment to ensuring their voices are heard even more effectively PM Modi said on social media platform XUnion Minister Meenakashi Lekhi too lauded PM Modi for the passage of the Bill saying that it will go down in history for empowering womenWhile the Opposition leaders welcomed the bill some flagged concerns over the noninclusion of an OBC subquota in the draft legislationBharat Rashtra Samithi BRS MLC K Kavitha one of the key advocates for legislation providing a fairer representation of women in lawmaking bodies called the passage of the quota Bill in Parliament a major step in ensuring stronger and more significant participation of women in the countrys political processHowever she added There are a couple of ommissions that catch ones eye Nonprovision of a subquota for OBC women is painful They should have added a subquota in the Bill as it would ensured a similar representation of women from backward classes in the countrys legislative processThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever