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India approves fifty percent quota for women in Village councils

by Irawwan | August 27, 2009 at 08:18 pm

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Indians, get ready for the avalance of women politicians. Indian cabinet approves fifty percent of seat reservation for women in "Panchayats" (Village councils) in the country. Thus August 27 , 2009 had become a historical day for the fairer sex of India. Aimed at empowering the largely underclassed Indian women, this move is considered as nothing less than a "revolutionary" movement and a "master stroke" by the ruling UPA coalition government.

The country seems set to have an army of women politicians. UPA-2 may have failed to deliver on its promise of 33% reservation for women in legislatures within 100 days but it has kept its word on empowerment at the grassroots with the Union Cabinet on Thursday clearing a proposal to increase reservation for women to 50% in panchayats.

The proposal, reported by TOI earlier, aims to amend Article 243D of the Constitution that currently provides for 33% reservation for women in panchayats. This is proposed to be increased to 50%. The "women only" seats in panchayats are rotated.

States where 50% women's quota is already in force has boosted their status. In Bihar, it has seen the spouses of women heads of panchayats styling themselves as `mukhiyapatis' in a sybolic yet sign

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sara star

at 04:12 on August 28th, 2009

This is incredible on many levels.

When there is balance, harmony and joy are apt to exist.

Irawwan

at 04:51 on August 28th, 2009

Yes , Sara. There are 265000+ villages in India. This rule makes a significant number of women to know and taste the ways of the power, allow them to take decision on how their life to be changed for good. That would be an absolute positive change for the poorest of poor villages of India.