New Delhi, Feb 25: The Union Cabinet tonight cleared
the much-delayed Women`s Reservation Bill which provides for
33 per cent reservation to the fair sex in Lok Sabha and state
assemblies.
The Bill has been hanging fire for close to 14 years due
to lack of political consensus on the issue.
The approval for the bill--easily one of the most
contentious pieces of legislation to be considered by
Parliament-- was given at a meeting of the Union Cabinet
presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The bill found significant mention in the President`s
address to Parliament on Monday when it was stated that
efforts would be made to get it passed in the ongoing Budget
session itself. It was first drafted by the United Front
government headed by H D Deve Gowda and brought to Parliament
in September 1996.
The bill has already been introduced in the Rajya Sabha
and was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on
Law and Justice and Personnel.
The Congres appealed to all parties to adopt a
constructive approach towards the Bill`s passage while
principal opposition party BJP pledged support but RJD
appeared to be sticking to its stand of a quota within quota.
The Standing Committee which gave its report in December
last had recommended passage of the Bill in its present form
and suggested that the issue should not be left to the
discretion of political parties.
Sources said since the Bill is the property of the
House, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) would decide on
when to take next step such as initiating debate and the
passage.
Samajwadi Party and RJD sought a quota within quota for
women from backward classes.
-PTI
