Women lawmakers. According to government data, women’s representation in parliament and most state legislatures across the country is below 15%, with 19 state assemblies having less than 10% women lawmakers.

Bihar (10.70), Chhattisgarh (14.44), Haryana (10), Jharkhand (12.35), Punjab (11.11), Rajasthan (12), Uttarakhand (11.43), Uttar Pradesh (11.66), West Bengal (13.70), and Delhi are the state legislatures with more than 10% female legislators (11.43).

According to data presented in the Lok Sabha on December 9 by Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana have less than 10% female legislators.

In the recently held Gujarat assembly elections, 8.2 percent of the elected representatives are women, whereas only one woman was elected this time in Himachal Pradesh.
According to the data, the proportion of women MPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is 14.94% and 14.05%, respectively.
At the same time, the average number of women MLAs in assemblies across the country is only 8%.

Abhishek Banerjee, a Trinamool Congress MP in Lok Sabha, raised the issue of women’s representation in Parliament and state legislatures, as well as the steps the Centre has taken to increase their overall representation.

He also inquired whether the government intends to introduce the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament.

Women justice is an important commitment of the government.

Rijiju responded, “Gender justice is an important commitment of the government.” Before bringing the Constitution Amendment Bill to Parliament, all political parties must carefully discuss this issue and reach an agreement.” Political parties such as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Janata Dal United JD(U), and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have recently asked the government to reintroduce and pass the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament.

“The BJD has requested that the bill be passed during the current winter session of Parliament.” “Dr. Sasmit Patra, a Rajya Sabha member, told PTI.

“If the government introduces legislation, our party will support it.” “He went on to say that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has repeatedly expressed his commitment to women’s empowerment.

Sudip Bandopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress demanded an all-party meeting on the issue a few days ago in a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, which was supported by other parties.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a SAD MP, stated that the time has come to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill and give women their due.

Rajeev Ranjan Singh, a JDU MP, stated that it is time to empower women and that the government should introduce this bill.

The bill, which seeks to reserve one-third of Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly seats for women, was introduced in Parliament for the first time in 1996.

The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, but it lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha.

 

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