106TH AMENDMENT ACT Syllabus GS Paper 2 - Polity)

Context: Recently, the Lok Sabha passed two Bills to extend the provisions of the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, which grants 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, to the Union Territories of Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir.

The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act

• About: The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, mandates the reservation of one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha, State legislative assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. 

oThis includes seats reserved for SCs and STs.

• Duration: The reserved seats' implementation will take effect after the publication of the census conducted following the commencement of the Act. 

oThe reservation will endure for a 15-year period, and any potential extension will be determined by parliamentary action.

• Rotational Allocation of Reserved Seats: The rotation of seats allocated for women will be governed by parliamentary legislation after each delimitation process, ensuring a fair and systematic distribution.
• Current Representation Statistics: Approximately 15% of the total members in the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-2024) are women. In state legislative assemblies, women, on average, constitute 9% of the total members.