Which of the following statements is/are INCORRECT about Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's Reservation Bill)?
1. The lower house of Parliament cleared the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's Reservation Bill) on September 20, 2023.
2. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's Reservation Bill) was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 215 MPs voting in favour of the Bill on 21st September 2023.
3. The Bill was passed with majority voting by all the members of Rajya Sabha-215 votes in favour and no one against it.
4. The bill grants 35 percent of seats to women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
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Correct option is C

The correct answer is (c) 4 only

Explanation:

• Statement 4 — Incorrect:
  The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's Reservation Bill) provides 33% reservation (not 35%) for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
  Statement 1 — Correct:
  The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on 20 September 2023.
• Statement 2 — Correct:
  The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on 21 September 2023 with 215 votes in favour and none against.
• Statement 3 — Correct:
  Although 215 MPs voted in favour and none voted against, not all members participated (due to vacancies), but the statement itself is factually correct as per voting records.

Information Booster:

Women's Reservation Act, 2023

About:

Name of the Act: The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023.

Objective: Reserves one-third of all seats for women in:

• Lok Sabha
• State Legislative Assemblies
• Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi

Inclusion: The one-third reservation also applies within seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Implementation:

The reservation will come into effect after:

• The publication of the next census conducted after the Act’s commencement.
• Delimitation based on the new census data.

Duration: The reservation will be valid for 15 years from its commencement.

• Extension: Can be extended further by parliamentary legislation.

Rotation of Seats:

The allocation of seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise, governed by a parliamentary law.

Current Status (Before the Act):

• 17th Lok Sabha (2019–2024): Women constitute approximately 15% of the total members.
• The election of 74 women to the 18th Lok Sabha marks a slight decline in women’s representation compared to the 17th Lok Sabha, where 78 women were elected, accounting for 14.4% representation.
• State Legislative Assemblies: Women constitute, on average, around 9% of the total members.