President Draupathi Murmu has taken a significant step forward by approving India's women’s reservation bill. The enactment of the Women's Bill, which had been pending for decades in the legislative assemblies of India has now become a reality. In an era of gender equality, reservation is never a generosity but her right. India has celebrated her 76 years of independence. Yet, the representation of women in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha remains less than 15%. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, only 726 women contested, with just 78 emerging victorious. Neither a state legislature nor a central governance region has women representatives of more than 11 percent. This situation is going to be changed.

However, with the aim of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047, it is imperative to involve women who make up half of the population. Even though the Narasimha Rao government in the years 1992 and 1993 succeeded in introducing a 33 percent reservation for women in local and state governing bodies through the 72nd and 73rd amendments of the Indian constitution he couldn’t manage to implement women's reservation in the central government or state legislatures. The bill faced opposition due to the dispute over the need for backward reservation within the reservation.

The government led by Narendra Modi has demonstrated the country's commitment towards women's empowerment by presenting India’s women's reservation bill and getting it approved by both houses.

In the newly inaugurated Parliament building on September 19, 2023, a historic moment in India's political history occurred when the Women's Reservation Bill, known as the ‘Nari Shakti Vandana Adhiniyam,’ was introduced. “I assure all mothers, sisters, and daughters of the nation that the government is committed to pass this bill. The women reservation will strengthen our democracy. The Women's Reservation Bill aims to strengthen women's representation in both the Lok Sabha and state legislatures. It marks a promising start, and if enacted, it has the potential to enhance women's political participation tenfold” mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the bill's introduction in the Parliament.

The bill stipulates that the reservation bill should be implemented only after the re-delimitation of the constituencies and census in the country. So in the current scenario, the bill will have to wait to become law. Even though the bill couldn’t be implemented in the 2024 general election, it is expected to be achieved by 2029. The ultimate goal is to have 185 women in the Lok Sabha, representing all sectors of the country and fostering an environment of equal opportunity and mutual respect.

Ensuring women's equality in the financial, educational, and healthcare sectors is a definite path to advancing the nation's development and progress. No doubt the women reservation bill initiative will foster the growth and development of the nation.

* (Writer is former President of FOKANA and Chairman of NAMAM, USA)