India cabinet approves bill to reserve 3rd of parliament lower house seats for women
The announcement by Modi during a special session of parliament comes eight months before general elections are due by May 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday the cabinet had approved a bill to reserve one-third seats in the lower house of parliament and state assemblies for women, reviving a proposal that has been hanging for decades.
The announcement by Modi during a special session of parliament comes eight months before general elections are due by May 2024.
"There have been many debates in the past regarding women's reservation...and I appeal to lawmakers to support the bill," Modi said in the lower house of the parliament. The bill needs to be approved by parliament and state assemblies to become law.
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Women account for almost half of India's 950 million registered voters but make for only 15% of parliament and around 10% of state legislatures, pushing the world's largest democracy to the bottom of the global list on gender parity in legislatures.
