LIVE | Day 3 in Parliament: Lok Sabha passes Women Reservation Bill after 8-hour debate
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal today moved the Women's Reservation Bill for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha, saying it is a step towards women empowerment.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal today (September 20) moved the Women's Reservation Bill for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha, saying it is a step towards women empowerment.
The constitutional amendment bill was introduced in the Lower House on Tuesday. It was the first bill introduced in the new Parliament building. The Bill provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. The reservation will come into effect only after the completion of the census and delimitation exercise.
The Bill is likely to be passed today. Follow all the updates, live, from the Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha, here.
Live Updates
20 Sept 2023 3:01 PM ISTHalf-baked bill, says Akhilesh Yadav
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has accused the BJP government of bringing a "half-baked" women's reservation bill and said that women of the country will give a befitting reply by voting against it in the coming elections.
In a post on X, the SP president also accused the Central government of commencing the very first session in the new parliament building with a "grand lie." "When the women reservation bill cannot be implemented without the census and delimitation, which will take many years, then why did the BJP government need to lie to women," Yadav said.
नयी संसद के पहले दिन ही भाजपा सरकार ने ‘महाझूठ’ से अपनी पारी शुरू करी है।
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) September 20, 2023
जब जनगणना और परिसीमन के बिना महिला आरक्षण बिल लागू हो ही नहीं सकता, जिसमें कई साल लग जाएँगे, तो भाजपा सरकार को इस आपाधापी में महिलाओं से झूठ बोलने की क्या ज़रूरत थी। भाजपा सरकार न जनगणना के पक्ष में है न…"The BJP government is neither in favour of census nor caste survey, without which women reservation is not possible. This half-baked bill is a mockery of a serious issue like 'women reservation', women will respond to it by voting against BJP in the upcoming elections," he said.
- 20 Sept 2023 2:56 PM IST
Modi deserves praise: Jitan Ram Manjhi
#WATCH | Delhi: On Women's Reservation Bill, Bihar former CM and HAM-S Leader Jitan Ram Manjhi says, "This was the demand of the situation. The governments before 2014, they brought this bill 27 years ago, but they did not let it pass. Some tore the draft of the bill, and some… pic.twitter.com/pJFjSkASv1
— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2023 - 20 Sept 2023 2:54 PM IST
BJP attempting to divert issues: Sachin Pilot
#WATCH | Tonk, Rajasthan | Congress leader Sachin Pilot says, "...BJP attempts to divert issues...to raise various issues to mislead people so that they can't ask questions...They have brought Women's Reservation Bill. What was the need for amendment? They should have passed the… pic.twitter.com/ryv1517Njh
— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2023 - 20 Sept 2023 2:45 PM IST
Past achievements of India's space sector cannot be erased from history: Jairam Ramesh
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the government of attempting to "airbrush" the milestones achieved in the space sector since the 1960s, and said the Indian space programme should be looked as an instrument of development and "not an instrument of muscular nationalism".
While lauding the Chandrayaan-3 mission, he said there was a need to remind the House of the people who have contributed so far to it, rather than fall victim to this new impression that has been created that this entire accomplishment is the result of only one individual.
Participating in a discussion on 'India's Glorious Space Journey Marked By Successful Soft Landing of Chandrayaan-3" in the Rajya Sabha, he said its success is based on the competencies, capabilities and capacities that have been created over 60 years.
"...we need to give our scientific and technological institutions full freedom. We need to give our scientific and technological institutions full independence and professionalism and we need to free our scientific and technological institutions of any political patronage and political interference and intervention," Ramesh said.
He called for acknowledging the glorious space journey that started in the early 1960s and the important milestones achieved so far.
"Even though the prime minister and the Leader of the House may choose to airbrush them away from history, they are a fact of life. They cannot be erased from history. They are very much part of our space journey," he said.
"I thought that it is important for me to remind the House where we have come from, the journey that we have taken, the achievements that we have had, the people who have contributed, rather than fall victim to this new impression that has been created that this entire accomplishment of Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya is the result of only one individual," he added.
- 20 Sept 2023 2:38 PM IST
NCP's Sule requests govt to debate on Canada issue
"I think since this is a Special Session, I request the government to debate a few topics that are equally relevant, including the Canadian issue," said NCP's Supriya Sule in Lok Sabha.
- 20 Sept 2023 2:25 PM IST
Rajya Sabha discusses Chandrayaan-3 success
Discussion in RS on "India's Glorious Space Journey marked by successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 "
- 20 Sept 2023 2:10 PM IST
Hope all parties will come together to ensure implementation of women's reservation bill: UN Women
The UN Women has expressed hope that political parties across the board will come together to ensure timely implementation of the women's reservation bill given that gender quotas in policies and politics is crucial to advancing gender equality and women's rights.
It also said reserving 33 per cent seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will "leapfrog India into one of 64 countries" that have reservation for women in their national parliaments.
In a statement, the UN Women said achieving a critical mass of 30 per cent representation for women in Parliament is known to yield positive outcomes for women's empowerment.
"This quota reserving 33 per cent seats for women will leapfrog India into one of 64 countries around the world who have reserved seats for women in their national parliaments," UN Women India Country Representative Susan Ferguson said.
"However, we hope that implementing such reservations will ultimately lead to achieving 50 per cent representation of women in parliaments across the globe," she added.
