Lok Sabha passes Bills for women’s quota in J&K, Puducherry
Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed two bills that seek to extend the provisions of the women’s reservation law to the legislative assemblies of the Union Territories of Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir.
Replying to a debate on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the twin measures will enable greater representation and participation of women as public representatives in law-making processes in the two legislative assemblies.
Hitting out at the opposition, Rai said that “be it the Mughal rule, the reign of aggressors, the British rule or Congress governments”, women’s rights were snatched, they were never given adequate opportunities to grow and injustice was meted out to them.
Rai said post revocation of Article 370, widow pension has reached 100 per cent saturation coverage in Jammu and Kashmir and one-stop centres for the benefit of women have come up in every district of the Union territory.
In Puducherry, provisions have been made for gender budgeting in the 2023-24 budget to the tune of Rs 1332 crore for the first time, the minister said, adding the 33 per cent reservation has been given to women in police, fire services and local bodies.