Bhubaneswar, 18 September (H.S.): Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy attended the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians programme held in Cape Town, South Africa, and highlighted the importance of women’s participation in decision-making and public institutions.

Addressing the programme organised as part of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference, Padhy said that when a woman participates in the decision-making process, she does not bring only a woman’s perspective, but also carries with her the experiences of a citizen, a community and a nation.

Padhy highlighted India’s growing participation of women in elected institutions. She said that 74 women were elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2024 general elections, accounting for 13.6 per cent of the total strength of the House.

She further said that more than 1.45 million women are serving as elected representatives in India’s Panchayati Raj Institutions, accounting for around 46 per cent of the total elected representatives. Women in India’s institutions, she said, are not merely participating but are also discharging responsibilities effectively and providing leadership.

Referring to the constitutional framework for women’s political representation, Padhy said India has enacted the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, through the 106th Constitutional Amendment, with the objective of providing one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

She said the measure represents an important step towards increasing women’s representation in legislative institutions.

Speaking about Odisha, Padhy highlighted the contribution of women’s self-help groups in empowering millions of women and helping them become self-reliant.

She said access to childcare facilities, clean drinking water, credit and digital services has helped women explore entrepreneurship and strengthen their economic participation.

Padhy emphasised that women’s participation in decision-making brings wider social experiences into the process of governance and policy formulation. She said greater representation of women in institutions can help ensure that the experiences and concerns of citizens and communities are reflected in decision-making.

Referring to the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network, Padhy said it represents more than 6,000 women across over 180 national and regional parliaments.

While describing the network’s reach as significant, she said further efforts are needed to reduce the representation gap and strengthen women’s participation in legislative and decision-making institutions.

The programme brought together women Speakers, parliamentarians, legislators and ministers from across the Commonwealth countries for discussions on women’s representation and leadership.

Odisha Assembly Deputy Speaker Bhawani Shankar Bhoi and Assembly Secretary Satyabrata Rout are also accompanying Speaker Surama Padhy on the Cape Town visit.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda