New Delhi: The government has decided to increase reservation for women in panchayats from 33 per cent to 50 per cent. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni announced this at a cabinet briefing on Thursday.
This provision will apply to total number of seats filled by direct elections, offices of chairpersons and seats and offices of chairpersons reserved for SC/ST categories.
The proposal is to amend Article 243D of the Constitution that currently provides for one-third reservation to women in panchayats.
The 33 per cent reservation for women in panchayats was achieved through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment during the regime of Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, though it was Rajiv Gandhi who first mooted the idea of empowering women at the grassroots.
States like Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh had already enacted legislations reserving 50 per cent seats for women in panchayats. Rajasthan and Kerala have recently announced that they would also enhance it to 50 per cent.