LS adjourns till Sep 20 after centre introduces Women Reservation Bill

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha has been adjourned till September 20 after Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the new Women's Reservation Bill. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill in the first sitting of Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building. The bill has been named Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

Introducing the bill in the house the minister said "This bill is in relation to women empowerment. By amending Article 239AA of the Constitution, 33% of seats will be reserved for women in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. Article 330A reservations of seats for SC/ST in the House of people."

Arjun Meghwal said that once the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is passed, the number of seats for women in Lok Sabha will increase to 181. Discussion for passing of the Bill in the House will be taken up on Wednesday, September 20.

The Bill will be taken up in Rajya Sabha on September 21 government sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the government is bringing a new Bill to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies and that God has given him the opportunity to take forward the task of women empowerment.

Members of Parliament on Tuesday proceeded to the new Parliament building after bidding farewell to the old building. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed members of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha at the Central Hall of the Old Parliament building after which he proceeded outside. Making his first speech in the new building of Parliament, the Prime Minister said the government has decided to bring the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

"Discussion on Women's Reservation Bill happened for a long time. During Atal Bihari Vajpayee's regime Women's Reservation Bill was introduced several times but there was not enough majority to pass the Bill, and because of this this dream remained incomplete. Today, God has given me the opportunity to take this forward...Our government is bringing a new Bill today on Women's participation in both Houses," PM Modi said in Lok Sabha.

He said the Bill will strengthen democracy and appealed to members to pass it unanimously. Women’s Reservation Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha in 2010 and it was not taken up in Lok Sabha and lapsed in the lower House of Parliament.