womens reservation bill : way to go...

9th March 2010 will be rememebered as one the most important days in the history of India. On this momentous day the legendary women’s reservation bill (the 108th amendment) was finally passed in the Rajya Sabha after a mammoth wait of 16 years.

The Bill was 1st introduced in the Lok Sabha way back in 1996 and has been presented time and again. But, due to a lack of consensus on the issue and the strong male chauvenistic nature of members of our parliament, it didn’t come to see daylight. Some members went to the extent of trying to snatch the copy from the speaker’s possesion. This bill has seen some of the worst misbehaviours in the history of the parliament. However, this time around, the detractors were substantially few and the major political parties were pretty sure about getting it cleared. The government too, put its full weight behind it.

The major benefits expected from it are that half of the population will have their voices heard more strongly in the governance of the country. Also one of the primary aims of the constitution, women empowerment, will be strongly encouraged.Indeed, there are some drawbacks in the bill in its present format including the issue of separate quota for socially backward classes. However, the bill will evolve with time to accommodate these.

Lets hope that the bill gets cleared in the Lok Sabha and 50% of the Vidhan Sabhas. Only then will it become that super powerful and game changing law as it was envisaged in the 1st place. All in all, one thing is sure, the entire course of our nation is gonna change when it will become a law. Keep your fingers crossed till then.