New Delhi: Introducing the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s bi-cameral parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said that it was India’s moment in its developmental journey when history was being written.
The Women’s Reservation Bill or the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023’ seeks to guarantee a 33 percent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
An official statement issued to the Press Information Bureau (PIB) quoted the PM while addressing the Lok Sabha in the new building of the Parliament as saying that there comes a time in the developmental journey of any country when history is created and today’s occasion was India’s moment in its development journey when history was being written.
Underling the role of politics in the effective transformation of society, he called for focusing on the contribution of Indian women in sectors ranging from space to sports.
Modi recalled how the world embraced the concept of women-led development during the G20.
He said that the government’s steps in this direction had been meaningful in this direction.
The PM said that among 50 crore beneficiaries of the Jan Dhan Scheme, most of the accounts belonged to women.
He also mentioned benefits for women in schemes like Mudra Yojana and PM Avaas Yojana.
Throwing light on the discussions and deliberations in the Parliament on the reservation of women, Modi said that the first bill on this issue was first introduced in 1996.
He said that it was introduced in the House several times during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s but it could not garner the required support in numbers to turn the dreams of women into reality.
“I believe God has chosen me to get this work done,” the PM said, as he informed that the union cabinet had decided to give a go-ahead to the Reservation of Women in Parliament Bill.
“This historic day of September 19, 2023, is going to be immortal in the history of India,” he said.
Observing the growing contributions of women in every sector, Modi emphasised the need for the inclusion of more women in policy-making so that their contributions to the nation increase further.
He urged the members to open the doors of opportunities for women on this historic day.
“Taking forward the resolution of women-led development, our government is today presenting a major Constitutional Amendment Bill. The purpose of this Bill is to expand the participation of women in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas. Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam will further strengthen our democracy. I congratulate the mothers, sisters, and daughters of the nation for Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam. I assure all the mothers, sisters, and daughters of the nation that we are committed to making this bill into law. I request as well as urge all the colleagues in this House as a pious auspicious beginning is being made, if this bill becomes law with consensus then its power will magnify manifold. Therefore, I request both the houses to pass the bill with full consensus,” the PM said.
Meanwhile, he urged the Rajya Sabha members to unanimously support the women’s reservation bill.
Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Modi said that the government took major strides during the past nine years though they did not have the required numbers in the Rajya Sabha.
Mentioning the women’s reservation bill that was presented in the Lok Sabha, he said, “When we talk about the ease of life, the first claim of that ease belongs to women.”
The PM said that the participation of women was being ensured in many sectors. “Potential of women should get opportunities. Time of ‘ifs and buts’ in their lives is over,” he said.
Modi said the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ programme became a people’s programme.
He also mentioned women’s participation in Jan Dhan and Mudra Yojana.
The PM mentioned Ujjwala and the elimination of ‘Triple Talaq’ and stronger laws for women’s safety.
He said women-led development was the biggest topic of discussion in G20.
Modi said that the issue of reservation for women in the Parliament had been pending for decades and everyone had contributed towards it in their capacity.
He expressed confidence that the bill would finally become law and ensure ‘women’s power’ towards nation-building.
The PM informed about the government’s decision to introduce the women’s reservation bill as a Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday which would be up for debate on Wednesday.
