Guwahati, 13 April (HS): The ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act’, introduced by the Central Government to strengthen women’s empowerment, is being viewed as a historic initiative, the Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Monday.
State BJP spokesperson Ranjeev Kumar Sharma stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Act has already been passed by Parliament and is slated to be implemented at the political level from 2029.
He said the Act ensures 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. With its implementation, the number of women members in the Lok Sabha is expected to rise significantly from the current 74 to around 273, marking an unprecedented increase in women’s political participation.
Sharma emphasized that the primary objective of the legislation is to enhance women’s representation at the highest democratic platforms and to encourage women’s leadership. He described it not merely as a legal reform but as a step towards a broader social transformation.
He further added that the Act would empower women to play a more active role in policymaking, political leadership and social change, placing them at the center of the country’s development process. It would serve as a powerful instrument to give a stronger voice to women, who constitute nearly half of the population.
According to the BJP spokesperson, the implementation of the law will make the governance system more inclusive, progressive and robust. He termed it a “silent yet significant social revolution” and a major milestone in modern Indian history.
Notably, women currently account for around 15% representation in the Lok Sabha and approximately 13% in the Rajya Sabha, compared to just 4% in the first Lok Sabha in 1952. In this context, the Act is being seen as a decisive step toward increasing women’s political participation.
It may be mentioned that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha on September 19, 2023 and it was subsequently passed as the 106th Constitutional Amendment, giving it the force of law.----------
Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash
