Women’s groups welcome the introduction of much awaited Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament

New Delhi, May 06, 2008: Women’s groups across the country have welcomed the introduction of women’s reservation in the Rajya Sabha today. The bill, which got tabled amidst high tension and opposition by some MPs, has been a long standing wish of women’s organizations and women alike, and the act of introducing the bill is being hailed by them as a defining moment in women’s struggle to achieve gender balance in politics.

“For us the battle is half won, we aim to put continuous pressure on the Government in the coming months and check all the negative forces to ensure the smooth passage of the bill. This is the only chance for the government to deliver justice to women in India and to win their confidence before the elections next year,” says Dr Ranjana Kumari, Director, Centre for Social Research and President, WomenPowerConnect.

For the past eleven years, successive governments have expressed verbal support to the idea of reserving 33 per cent seats for women in both the Houses of Parliament, but did very little to ensure its passage. The introduction of Bill in the Rajya Sabha today has brought a ray of hope for numerous women who have been striving to get their rightful place in parliament.

“We congratulate and thank Renuka Chowdhary, Brinda Karat and Sushma Swaraj, whose endless efforts in parliament have made it possible. We also appeal to the government to pass the Bill in the next session without giving in to the pressure tactics of some MPs,” says Dr Kumari. “The next few months will now see us persuading several MPs to support the Bill to ensure its smooth passage in the next session of parliament”

The initiative of reserving seats for women in the local bodies materialized through the Panchayati Raj Act, 1992 during the then Prime Minister of India, Mr. Rajeev Gandhi’s tenure. Using the 33% reservation of seats in bodies of local governance, women have become active and valuable participants in grassroot level decision making structures. Women are very hopeful that if such a strategy were to be employed across all levels, higher level decision making would also benefit from the dynamic involvement and leadership of women. 

About Centre for Social Research:  

Centre for Social Research is one of the leading Women’s Institutions working in the field of social action since 1983. CSR was founded by a group of concerned social scientists dedicated to promote the empowerment of women, deprived castes and groups. CSR aims to empower women and enable them with the resources to be self-reliant individuals. It works at the grassroots, regional and international levels to raise women’s awareness of their rights, build into decision-making institutions from Panchayats to Parliament and to eliminate violence against women. The goal of the organisation is to achieve economic self-sufficiency and raise awareness on social, political and legal issues. At present, CSR has six divisions: Development and Capacity Building, Violence against Women Programme, Research, Gender Training Institute and Networking and Advocacy.  

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