New Delhi:
The Union Cabinet on Thurssday cleared the much-delayed Women's Reservation Bill which provides for 33 per cent reservation to the fair sex in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
The Bill has been hanging fire for close to 14 years due to lack of political consensus on the issue.
The approval for the bill - easily one of the most contentious pieces of legislation to be considered by Parliament - was given at a meeting of the Union Cabinet presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The bill found significant mention in the President's address to Parliament on Monday when it was stated that efforts would be made to get it passed in the ongoing Budget session itself. It was first drafted by the United Front government headed by H D Deve Gowda and brought to Parliament in September 1996.
The bill has already been introduced in the Rajya Sabha and was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Personnel.
The Congres appealed to all parties to adopt a constructive approach towards the Bill's passage while principal opposition party BJP pledged support but RJD appeared to be sticking to its stand of a quota within quota.
The Standing Committee which gave its report in December last had recommended passage of the Bill in its present form and suggested that the issue should not be left to the discretion of political parties.
Sources said since the Bill is the property of the House, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) would decide on when to take next step such as initiating debate and the passage.
Samajwadi Party and RJD sought a quota within quota for women from backward classes.