By IANS,
New Delhi : The women’s reservation bill providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies has been gathering dust for 12 years with no government willing to give it the push that will make it an Act.
Here are some facts about the bill which has been introduced and reintroduced time and again but never passed.
* In 1996 the Deve Gowda government introduced the women’s reservation bill on September 4, 1996 as the 81st Constitution Amendment Bill.
* The bill was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee chaired by Communist Party of India (CPI) MP Geeta Mukherjee.
*The Joint Parliamentary Committee presented its report to the Lok Sabha on December 9, 1996.
*The bill was reintroduced on June 26, 1998, by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the 12th Lok Sabha as the 84th Constitution Amendment Bill.
*It was once again introduced by the NDA government in the 13th Lok Sabha on November 22, 1999.
*The NDA government brought the bill to the Lok Sabha twice in 2002 and 2003 but never could get it passed even though the Congress and the Left, constituting a majority, had assured NDA of their support.
*The United Progressive Alliance(UPA) government elected in May 2004 announced its intention to pass the bill as part of its commitments in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP).
* With four days to go before the Budget session ends, the UPA government Monday said it will bring the bill in this very session.