Punjab Assembly passes resolution on 33% reservation for women

The Punjab Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to enact Women's Reservation Bill to provide 33% reservation for women in both Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies by voice vote on Friday after the resolution was moved by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

While moving the resolution during the winter session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Singh pointed to the previous Congress government's decision to reserve 50% seats for women in Urban Local Bodies and Panchayat Raj Institutions and urged the Centre to hasten the enactment of this bill.

"The Bill would ensure greater equity and balanced representation for both men and women in the national electoral process and decision making. This would fulfill a legitimate and long pending demand of women to ensure their empowerment," he said.

Underlining the fact that then Congress president Sonia Gandhi had initiated the process towards ensuring substantial women representation in Parliament and the Vidhan Sabhas, Singh said the Congress government had ensured passage of the earlier Bill in the Upper House but it had lapsed in the Lok Sabha due to the indifferent attitude of the opposition.

Once passed, the Bill would ensure reservation of 181 seats out of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats, besides earmarking 1370 assembly seats out of the total 4109 assembly seats across the nation.