STANDING COMMITTEE ON PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES,

LAW AND JUSTICE INVITES SUGGESTIONS

ON

THE CONSTITUTION (ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH AMENDMENT) BILL, 2008

The Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008, introduced in Rajya Sabha on the 6th May, 2008 and pending therein, has been referred to the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, headed by Dr. E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, Member, Rajya Sabha for examination and report.

2.         The Bill aims at eliminating gender inequality and discrimination against women, by political empowerment of women, so as to fulfill people’s mandate of Women Empowerment as envisaged in the National Common Minimum Programme of the Government and seeks:

(i)      reservation for women, as nearly as may be, one third seats of the present   strength of the House  of the People and the Legislative Assembly of every   State;

(ii)     to provide, as nearly as may be, one-third reservation for women including one-     third the number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the        Scheduled Tribes in the House of the People and in the Legislative Assembly         of every State to be reserved for women of that category;

(iii)    to provide for reservation for women in respect of nominations of members of         Anglo-Indian community in the House of the People and in the Legislative    Assemblies of the States;

(iv)    to provide for reservation for women in the Legislative Assembly of the       National Capital territory of Delhi; and

(v)     to provide that reservation of seats for women should cease to have effect on         the expiration of a period of fifteen years from the enactment of the Bill.

3.         To give effect to the above proposals, the Bill provides for:

(a)     amendment of articles 239AA, 331 and 333 and insertion of new articles 330A, 332A and 334A in the Constitution to provide for reservation for women in the House of the People and the Legislative Assemblies of the States; and

(b)     to make consequential changes in certain other related enactments.

 

 4.        The Committee before proceeding further has decided to invite memoranda containing views/suggestions from the individuals/organizations interested in the subject-matter of the Bill and also to hear select oral evidences on the subject matter of the Bill.

5.         Those desirous of submitting memoranda to the Committee may send two copies thereof, neatly typed in double space (either in English or Hindi) to Shri K.P. Singh, Joint Director, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, Room No. 212A, Parliament House Annexe, New Delhi‑110001 (Tel: 23034292 and Fax 23016784, E-mail: kpsingh@sansad.nic.in and rs-cpers@sansad.nic.in) within twenty days of publication of this advertisement, indicating whether they would also be interested in giving oral evidence before the Committee.

6.         The memoranda which might be submitted to the Committee, would form part of the records of the Committee and would be treated as confidential and the contents therein may not be disclosed to anyone, and any act contrary thereto, would constitute a breach of privilege of the Committee.

7.         The Bill was published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 2, dated the 6h May, 2008.  Copies of the Bill can be had on written request to the above-mentioned Officer or can be downloaded from the official web-site of the Rajya Sabha (http://rajyasabha.nic.in), under the caption “Bills with the Committee”.

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