Chennai: Union Home Minister P
Chidambaram Wednesday expressed confidence that the long-awaited
Women's Reservation Bill would be passed by Parliament this
year.
"...I am confident that by the year end the Women's
Reservation Bill will be passed," Chidambaram said after
flagging off three women special EMU train services at the
Tambaram railway station near here.
The Bill that provides for 33 per cent quota for women
in the Parliament and state assemblies, has been hanging fire
for long due to opposition by some parties, including Mulayam
Singh's Samajwadi Party and Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya
Janata Dal.
Chidambaram said the government was giving individual
attention to the needs of various sections of the society,
including youth and women, and the introduction of ladies
special trains, already launched in Mumbai and Kolkata early
this month, showed it had a special place for women.
The ladies special services, to be operated during
peak hours in the morning and evening, would greatly benefit
women passengers, Southern Railways authorities said.
The special trains were announced in the Railways
Budget for this year.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, August 12, 2009, 12:58