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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated a two-day All-India Capacity Building Workshop on 'Gender-Responsive Governance' organised by the National Commission for Women at Faridabad, Haryana.
He described the 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies as a historic need and said the focus must shift from supporting women to enabling them to shape policies and laws.
Around 200 women legislators from 20 States and 2 Union Territories attended, alongside NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar.
The reservation he referred to comes from the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, whose commencement is tied to the first delimitation after the next census.
Reserves one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha, the State Legislative Assemblies and the Delhi Legislative Assembly. It inserted Article 330A (Lok Sabha) and Article 332A (State Assemblies), with sub-reservation for SC and ST women within seats already reserved for those categories. It received presidential assent on 28 September 2023.
Defers commencement of the reservation until the first delimitation undertaken after the relevant figures of the next census are published — which is why the amendment is on the statute book but not yet in operation.
Inserted by the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992, it already reserves not less than one-third of seats in every Panchayat for women, including within the seats reserved for SCs and STs. Local bodies therefore had women's reservation three decades before Parliament did.
Creates the NCW as a statutory — not constitutional — body to review the constitutional and legal safeguards for women, recommend remedial legislation and take up grievances.
Requires Parliament to enact a Delimitation Act after every census; the Delimitation Commission set up under such an Act is the body whose next exercise will trigger the women's reservation.
Statutory body that reviews safeguards for women, investigates complaints, recommends legislation and advises government on policy; organiser of the Faridabad workshop
Redraws the boundaries and numbers of parliamentary and assembly constituencies after a census; its orders have the force of law and cannot be questioned before any court
Presiding officer of the Lok Sabha; hosts and addresses capacity-building programmes for legislators
Article 243D reserved one-third of Panchayat seats for women in 1992; several states have since raised it to 50% by state law, so the local tier remains ahead of the legislatures.
Because seat numbers have been frozen against population since 1976, the delimitation that triggers women's reservation also reopens the question of how seats are distributed between states.
The NCW is statutory, unlike the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, which are constitutional bodies under Articles 338 and 338A.
GS Paper 2 > Polity > Parliament, Constitutional Amendments and Statutory Bodies
General Awareness > Indian Polity and Constitution
Consider the following statements regarding 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam': 1. Provisions will come into effect from the 18th Lok Sabha. 2. This will be in force for 15 years... 3. There are provisions for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes Women... Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: 2 and 3 only
Rajya Sabha has equal powers with Lok Sabha in
Answer: amending the Constitution
The short title of the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, reserving one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and the Delhi Assembly.
Redrawing the boundaries and number of constituencies after a census; the Commission's orders cannot be questioned in any court.
A body created by an ordinary Act of Parliament rather than by the Constitution — the NCW's status, and a common point of confusion with the SC and ST Commissions.