|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
By Category |
 |
|
|
| |
|
| |
| |
India On Media |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Others
News |
|
| Women members have their say |
| Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, actor Preity Zinta and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur at a function in New Delhi
|
| INDIA
, 9-March-2007
2:20:10 AM |
| Women parliamentarians had their say in both Houses of Parliament on the occasion of International Women's Day on Thursday but were unable to secure a concrete assurance from the Government on the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill.
All they got was a reiteration of the Government's commitment to bring the Bill to Parliament before its term ended. In the Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: "Our Government remains committed to work towards broad based consensus on the Bill." Some months back the initiative "nearly succeeded but some problems arose and we could not bring it in the last session of Parliament."
Responding to the demand for a commitment on the introduction of the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said a consensus-building exercise was on since it was a Constitutional Amendment requiring two-thirds majority for passage. "We will introduce it before our term is over."
Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee made a reference to International Women's Day before setting aside time from Question Hour to allow women members to air their views. However, as the women MPs refused to confine themselves to a minute each and nearly half of Question Hour was taken up, the Speaker quipped: "I made a mistake, I find."
Cutting across party lines, the refrain of women MPs was that every year platitudes are offered to women's empowerment — both inside and outside Parliament — but the Bill remained an elusive goal. First off the block was Sumitra Mahajan (Bharatiya Janata Party). Krishna Tirath (Congress) asked members to raise their hands if they supported the introduction of the Bill.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ADVERTISEMENTS
Free offer!!! Become an administrator for your zip home page, "Post" local news (local to your postcode)& pictures, "Post" advertisement banners from local companies. Make Extra money.
|
 |
 |
|
|
| |
|
