The month of September brought a wave of joy for women in India when they witnessed a landmark legislation being passed in the Indian parliament.
This much awaited legislation – the Women’s Reservation Bill had to wait twenty seven years for approval as it was first tabled in the Parliament in 1996 but failed to get through several times due to strong disapproval from a faction of parliamentarians and debates over reservation within reservation and sub-quotas.
It is a disturbing fact that the world’s largest democracy, which gave women the right to vote at the very outset has a mere 15% representation of women in its parliament and about 10% in the state assemblies even today. But this special session of the Parliament displayed a very positive approach as the bill was passed almost unanimously, making the empowerment of women a unifying force in an otherwise fractious political environment. The bill will set aside 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
However, this historic move has its flaws. The bill does not ensure similar reservation for women in the Rajya Sabha. Its implementation is still unsure and will remain so for the coming decade. Ideally, it should have been implemented before the 2024 general elections. But considering the pending census and the proposed delimitation, this is impossible. Women in India are unaware of when exactly they would get their due share in the decision-making process of the country. When a historical step such as this is taken, the law makers should not fall behind in implementing it as soon as possible which would ensure better representation for women.
Moreover, the sparse representation of OBC and Muslim women in the Parliament should have been taken into consideration and reservation should have been ensured for them within the quota. Aura’s October issue carries a detailed insight on the women’s reservation bill, with the hope that this bill will go down in history as a firm step towards achieving gender parity in the Indian political arena.
Marking the World Food Day, Aura has researched and discussed myths and facts about food culture, a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. India’s current political situation and a medley of opinions on other diverse topics are also lined up for our readers in this issue.
We at Aura always appreciate and anticipate the comments and suggestions of our readers and well wishers. Aura strides to excel in its craft and continues to be the voice of the unheard and deliberately silenced.