Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam

Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam

Context

In 2023, the Indian Parliament passed the 128th Constitution Amendment Bill, known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. This landmark legislation seeks to address the historical under-representation of women in India’s highest legislative bodies by mandating a fixed quota for female lawmakers.

About the News

• Background: Despite making up nearly half the population, women’s representation in Parliament and State Assemblies has remained stagnantly low. Historical data suggests that inclusive participation leads to more multi-dimensional policy-making and improved resource management, such as in water and sanitation sectors.
• Historical Milestone: The quest for this reservation is not new; the first official bill to secure seats for women in Parliament was introduced nearly three decades ago, in 1996.
• Key Provisions:
  • 1/3rd Reservation: Mandates the reservation of 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
  • Exclusions: The reservation does not extend to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) or State Legislative Councils.

Representation Challenges

• The "Pradhan Pati" Phenomenon: A significant hurdle in grassroots politics is the proxy culture. Often, even when women win elections, actual administrative and political power is exercised by male relatives (husbands, fathers, or fathers-in-law).
• Structural Barriers: Lack of financial resources, internal party hierarchies, and societal prejudices continue to limit the entry of independent female leadership into the political mainstream.

Implementation Timeline & Conditions

The Act includes specific "linked conditions" that have deferred its immediate application:

1. The Census Requirement: The reservation will only be implemented after the next official Census is conducted and published (expected around 2027).
2. Delimitation Exercise: Following the Census, a Delimitation Commission, a statutory body must be established to redraw constituency boundaries.
3. Projected Date: Because delimitation is a time-consuming legal and geographical process (often taking 6 to 7 years), the actual implementation of the quota is likely to be realized only by 2033 or 2034.

Way Forward

• Capacity Building: Beyond legal quotas, there is a need to train and empower women leaders to dismantle the "proxy" culture and ensure substantive representation.
• Expediting Processes: Streamlining the Census and Delimitation timelines could help bring the benefits of the Act to the electorate sooner than the current decade-long projection.
• Institutional Reform: Political parties should proactively grant more tickets to women in the interim, rather than waiting for the legal mandate to take effect.

Conclusion

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is a transformative step toward gender parity in Indian governance. While the procedural delays regarding Census and Delimitation pose a challenge, the legislative commitment marks a shift from viewing women’s participation as an act of patronage to recognizing it as a fundamental constitutional right.