“It’s unfortunate (for the country) for not being able to ensure 33 percent representation of women in parliament”, Mukherjee said.
Advertisement
Elected women representatives served as role models for other women, therefore, they should be given 33 per cent representation in the drafting team of the “New National Education Policy”, she said. “There has to be an attitudinal change and I am hopeful that the Bill will come up for consideration”, he said. But the Bill has definitely created a favourable atmosphere in favour of the women get enhanced reservation in village, panchayat, civic bodies upto 50 per cent. The ongoing women reservation conference in Delhi is noteworthy and very appropriate personal effort of the women speaker of Lok Sabha Mrs.Sumitra Mahajan.
It is the highest number yet of women MPs in the Lok Sabha. However, the bill lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha.
Speaking on the occasion, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said women’s representation in parliament and state legislatures has to be corrected as they play a crucial role in society.
” To expect that everybody will fall in line is too much and normally does not happen, ” he said at the first-of-its- kind conference.
On the issue of poor representation of women in committees not dealing with women’s matters, Mukherjee said representation on such panels is not in the hands of the members of the political parties as it is distributed according to the strength of the parties in the House.
Tending to a press conference on the two-day meet which is to be initiated by President Pranab Mukherjee, she said it would give a stage to women officials over the nation to connect and gain from their partners, Women Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, MPs and prominent women in the Judiciary and Ministry. He further said that our Parliament’s gender profile is woefully unbalanced with women constituting only 12 per cent of the total membership.
He said that underlining the need for upliftment and empowerment of women the Constitution of India was amended in 1993.
” This gives an impression that they are lagging behind”.
Ansari asked parties to voluntarily increase the nomination of women candidates in elections till the legislation was enacted. In this March, our Parliament will continue to function on the International Women’s Day.
Advertisement
CONGRESS President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday skipped the first-ever Women Legislators’ Conference organised here as she is “unwell”.
