Amid debate in Parliament, the Modi government implemented the Women's Reservation Act 2023 on Thursday. An official said the Act has been enacted, but reservations cannot be implemented in the current House.

The Women's Reservation Act, 2023, came into effect on Thursday (April 16), according to a notification issued by the Union Law Ministry. However, it is not yet clear why the Act has been notified on April 16, amid ongoing debate in Parliament about amending the Act and implementing it in 2029. This law establishes a 33 percent quota for women in legislative assemblies.

'Reservation cannot be implemented in the current House'
According to a PTI report, an official cited technical flaws in implementing the law, but did not elaborate. The official said that although the Act has been implemented, reservation cannot be implemented in the current House. The official added that reservation for women can be implemented after the delimitation process is completed based on the next census.

What the notification said

The notification said, "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixteenth Amendment) Act, 2023, the Central Government hereby appoints the 16th day of April, 2026, as the date for the commencement of the provisions of the said Act." In September 2023, Parliament passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, commonly known as the Women's Reservation Act. This was a significant step towards increasing the representation of women in legislative bodies.

When will the reservation be implemented?
This Act provides for reserving one-third of the seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Under this 2023 law, reservation will not be implemented before 2034, as it is linked to the completion of the delimitation process after the 2027 census. The three bills currently being debated in the Lok Sabha were introduced by the government to implement the women's quota in 2029.

PC:ABPNews