Center to promote gender equality in panchayats

Delivering new provisions for the gender equality in the country, the center government is planning to provide fifty percent reservation for women in the panchayat elections. The meaningful alteration of the quota-equations had been announced by the Union Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister on last day. Currently, around thirty-three percent reservation is available for the women in the panchayat elections. A move to increase the reservation limit from thirty-three to fifty was initiated by the former UPA government. The former congress-led UPA government in early 2009 had successfully cleared the bill and transferred it to a parliament committee for a detailed deliberation. But, the bill had not reached the expected target because it was unexpectedly cancelled in late 2014 even though it was re-introduced in mid 2010. Interestingly, some states have successfully implemented the fifty-percent reserve quota for empowering women in their villages. Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Himachal Pradesh are holding the pride of the challenging reservation quota. Meanwhile, the Union Rural Development Minister announces that the government is considering a term extension along with the quota allocation. According to the new proposal, a women panchayat member will get an additional five year term in the same ward to complete the initiated projects. However, it is learned that the government would submit the bill before the parliament in the upcoming budget session for detailed discussions. A constitutional amendment is essential to implement this reservation.

Vignesh

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