Reality of Women's Reservation

Summary

The Indian government's historic passage of the Women's Reservation Bill marks a significant step towards gender equality in politics, reserving 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. The bill, which faced a 27-year struggle for approval, has been celebrated as a milestone by parties like BJP and Congress. Despite concerns over proxy candidates and the potential for increased political representation without genuine empowerment, the bill's impact on women's confidence and societal attitudes has been largely positive, with research showing increased reporting of crimes against women and better allocation of resources for female welfare.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Indian Women's Reservation Bill has been passed, marking a historic moment for women's political representation in India.
• 🎉 After a 27-year wait, the bill was passed with a majority in the Rajya Sabha, leading to celebrations at the BJP headquarters.
• 🗳️ The bill reserves 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, aiming to increase their representation in politics.
• 🌟 Prime Minister Modi is seen as giving a new direction to women's political struggle, with the bill expected to empower women in the country.
• 🤔 There is a debate over which political party can take credit for the bill, with both BJP and Congress staking their claim.
• 🔄 The percentage of female MPs in India is lower compared to other countries, including some developing nations like Bangladesh.
• 🏆 Female MPs have expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for the bill, indicating a wave of happiness and unity among them.
• 😟 However, there are concerns about the bill's true impact, with fears that women who run for elections might not be independent but proxies for established politicians.
• 🏛️ The script recounts an incident where a man married to get his wife elected due to a reserved seat, raising questions about the effectiveness of reservations.
• 📚 The discussion on women's reservation in politics dates back to pre-independence India and has seen various political figures both supporting and opposing it over the years.
• 📈 The bill's passage in 2023 was facilitated by the BJP's strong political position, unlike previous attempts which faced opposition from various parties and leaders.

Q & A

What is the Women's Reservation Bill and why is it historic?

The Women's Reservation Bill is a legislative act passed by the Indian government to reserve 33% of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. It is historic because it marks a significant step towards gender equality in political representation, ending a 27-year wait.

How has the political landscape in India regarding women's representation changed with the passing of this bill?

With the Women's Reservation Bill, India is expected to see a substantial increase in female representation in parliament. Currently, only 15% of MPs in Lok Sabha and 13% in Rajya Sabha are women, which is lower compared to other countries. The bill aims to address this disparity and empower women in politics.

What was the initial reaction to the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha?

The initial reaction to the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha was positive, as indicated by the phrase 'The Bill was passed with a majority.' Celebrations ensued at BJP's headquarters, showing widespread support for the bill.

What are the concerns regarding the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill?

There are concerns that the bill might not bring independent women into politics but rather politicians' wives or daughters, as seen in some Panchayat elections. Additionally, there is a fear that the bill might not be implemented soon due to the need for a census and delimitation processes.

How does the Women's Reservation Bill address the issue of representation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women?

The Women's Reservation Bill includes reservations for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women, ensuring that their representation is also considered within the 33% quota. This is an additional quota within the overall reservation, aiming to provide more inclusive representation.

What is the historical context of the Women's Reservation Bill in India?

The idea of women's reservation in politics has been discussed since before India's independence. It gained momentum in the Constituency Assembly debates in 1946, and later in various government initiatives and state-level reservations. However, it wasn't until 1996 that the first formal bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

What were the key objectives of introducing reservations for women in Panchayati Raj institutions?

The key objectives were to increase the representation of women, ensure that women raise issues faced by their gender, and to change societal opinions about women's capabilities and roles in leadership.

How has the implementation of women's reservations in Panchayati Raj institutions impacted women's political participation and confidence?

The reservations have led to an increase in women's political participation, with more women getting the confidence to report crimes and voice their issues. It has also provided opportunities for new women to take on leadership roles in local government.

What are the potential societal changes that the Women's Reservation Bill aims to bring about?

The bill aims to change societal perspectives on women's capabilities and roles in politics. It is expected to increase women's confidence in their political abilities and lead to a more inclusive and gender-balanced political environment.

What is the timeline for the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill in terms of the census and delimitation?

The implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill is dependent on the census and delimitation processes. The next census is expected to be conducted in late 2024, and delimitation will likely occur in 2029, which means the reservations will start being implemented around that time.

How might the Women's Reservation Bill impact political parties in terms of their approach to women's issues and leadership opportunities?

The bill is expected to challenge political parties to create a bench strength of women leaders, potentially leading to a greater focus on women's issues and more opportunities for women within party organizations. It may also influence parties to appeal more to women voters and consider women's perspectives in their policies.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Women's Reservation Bill Passes in India

The Indian government's historic passage of the Women's Reservation Bill marks a significant milestone, ending a 27-year wait. The bill reserves 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, a move celebrated at the BJP's headquarters and praised by the Prime Minister for its potential to energize women in politics. However, concerns arise regarding the independence of women candidates, with a history of political families exploiting reserved seats. The script also highlights the global context, noting that India's female representation in parliament has lagged behind other nations, including developing ones. The narrative delves into an anecdote from Uttar Pradesh to illustrate the lengths to which some will go to circumvent the intent of the bill, raising questions about the future impact of the legislation.

05:00

🗳️ The Evolution and Resistance of Women's Reservation in Politics

This paragraph traces the history of the Women's Reservation Bill in India, beginning with its introduction in 1996 and detailing the political resistance it faced over the years. The bill's journey through various governments, including the United Front, NDA, and UPA, is outlined, with key political figures such as Lalu Prasad Yadav and Yogi Adityanath noted as opponents. The narrative also touches on the broader debate around reservations, including the 1931 correspondence with the British Prime Minister and the debates within the Constituent Assembly, where even female members like Renuka Ray opposed the idea of reservations on merit grounds. The discussion highlights the complex political dynamics and the evolution of the bill, which ultimately failed to pass despite multiple attempts.

10:01

📊 The Impact and Implementation of Women's Reservations

The script explores the implications of the Women's Reservation Bill, focusing on its stipulations for reserving seats in legislative assemblies and the inclusion of Scheduled Caste and Tribe women. It also addresses the 15-year validity of the reservations and the conditions required for its implementation, such as the census and delimitation processes. The paragraph delves into the potential increase in the number of female MPs and the political challenges parties will face in building a bench strength of women candidates. The discussion also references research on the impact of women's reservations in panchayats, suggesting both positive and negative outcomes and the need for societal perspective changes towards women in leadership roles.

15:04

🌟 The Transformative Effect of Women's Reservations in Local Governance

This paragraph examines the objectives and outcomes of women's reservations in panchayats, highlighting the increase in women's representation, the raising of women's issues, and the societal shift in perception towards women leaders. It discusses the initial challenges, such as proxy candidates and the lack of experience among women leaders, but also points to positive changes over time, including increased confidence among women to report crimes and a shift in villagers' trust in women's leadership. The paragraph also notes regional differences in the effectiveness of reservations, with South India showing better outcomes than North India, and suggests that with support and experience, women leaders can make significant contributions to their communities.

20:06

📈 Political Participation and the Future of Women's Representation in India

The final paragraph discusses the current state of women's political participation in India, noting the equal voter turnout between men and women in recent elections and the active role women play in the political landscape. It speculates on the future impact of the Women's Reservation Bill on political parties, suggesting that parties with a history of empowering women, like the BJP, may benefit, while regional parties lacking female representation could face challenges. The paragraph also raises the question of which party will be best positioned to support women leaders in the coming years and hints at the potential for women to address critical issues such as women's health in the political sphere.

Keywords

💡Women's Reservation Bill

The Women's Reservation Bill is a legislative act passed by the Indian government to reserve 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. It is a historic step towards gender equality in political representation. The bill is central to the video's theme, illustrating a significant policy change aimed at empowering women in politics. The script discusses its passage after a 27-year wait and the celebration that followed, highlighting its importance.

💡Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha is the upper house of the Parliament of India. It plays a crucial role in the legislative process, including the passing of bills. In the context of the video, the Women's Reservation Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha, indicating a milestone in the bill's legislative journey. The script mentions this to emphasize the bill's approval by a key legislative body.

💡Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha is the lower house of the Parliament of India, directly elected by the people. The video script mentions that with the Women's Reservation Bill, 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha will be reserved for women, indicating a significant shift in political representation. This change is integral to the video's narrative about enhancing women's participation in politics.

💡Panchayat

A Panchayat refers to a local self-government at the village or town level in India. The script discusses the impact of women's reservations in Panchayati Raj institutions, which have been in place since the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution. The video uses Panchayat as an example to explore the potential effects of the Women's Reservation Bill on national politics.

💡Delimitation

Delimitation is the process of redrawing boundaries of constituencies based on population changes, as per the census data. The script explains that the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill is dependent on the next delimitation, which will occur after the next census in 2024. This term is vital for understanding the timeline of the bill's impact on parliamentary representation.

💡Proxy Candidate

A proxy candidate is someone who runs in place of another person, often due to reservations or quotas. In the script, the term is used to describe situations where women may be officially elected but are overshadowed by male relatives who actually perform the duties. This concept is relevant to the discussion on whether the bill will truly empower women or lead to proxy candidates.

💡Pati Pradhan

Pati Pradhan is a term used in India to describe a situation where a woman is the official head of a Panchayat, but her husband effectively controls the position. The video script uses this term to illustrate concerns that the Women's Reservation Bill might not lead to genuine female empowerment if it results in proxy candidates.

💡Political Participation

Political participation refers to the active involvement of individuals in the political process, such as voting or running for office. The script highlights the increased political participation of women in India, which is a key factor in the context of the Women's Reservation Bill. It suggests that this bill is a response to and a facilitator of women's growing involvement in politics.

💡Reservation

Reservation in the Indian context refers to the policy of setting aside a certain percentage of seats or positions for underrepresented groups, such as women or specific castes. The video script discusses the history and implications of reservations, particularly focusing on the Women's Reservation Bill and its potential to increase female representation in politics.

💡Census

A census is an official count of the population, conducted periodically by governments. The script mentions that the next census, which was delayed due to COVID-19, will be crucial for the delimitation process and, consequently, for the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill. The census is a foundational step that will determine parliamentary seat allocations.

💡Gender Equality

Gender equality is the state of equal rights, opportunities, and treatment for individuals, regardless of their gender. The Women's Reservation Bill is a significant measure towards achieving gender equality in political representation in India. The script frames the bill as a step towards ensuring that women have an equal voice and influence in the political sphere.

Highlights

The Indian government passes the historic Women's Reservation Bill, ending a 27-year wait and reserving 33% of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women.

The Women's Reservation Bill is celebrated as a new direction for women's political struggle, with the potential to increase female representation in politics.

Despite the bill's passage, concerns arise about the independence of women candidates, with fears that they may be proxies for male politicians.

The bill's history dates back to pre-independence discussions, with early debates on women's reservation in the Constituency Assembly of 1946.

Reservations for women in panchayati institutions began in 1983 in Karnataka, leading to a national recommendation for 30% reservation for women in government documents.

The 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Indian Constitution in 1993 marked the first institutional step to increase women's political participation.

The Women's Reservation Bill has faced opposition from various political figures and parties over the years, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and Yogi Adityanath.

The bill's journey from introduction in 1996 to passage in 2023 reflects the evolving political landscape and the growing recognition of women's rights.

The bill's implementation is contingent on the census and delimitation processes, which are expected to occur in 2029, affecting the timing of the reservation's start.

Research on the impact of women's reservations in panchayats shows mixed results, with some areas seeing increased confidence and reporting of crimes against women.

Economic studies suggest that women leaders allocate resources differently, with potential positive impacts on female child mortality and village governance.

The bill's passage may challenge political parties to build bench strength for women, potentially leading to a shift in party dynamics and strategies.

The bill's long-term impact is expected to be seen in 5-6 years, with the potential to reshape the political landscape and women's role in politics.

The bill's passage is a historic moment for women's political participation in India, with implications for party support and women's issues in governance.

The Women's Reservation Bill's success may depend on societal attitudes and the ability of women leaders to overcome initial challenges and demonstrate their capabilities.

The bill's passage is a testament to the growing political activism of women in India, with implications for voter turnout and party platforms.

Transcripts

The Indian government has passed the historic

Women's Reservation Bill.

"The 27-year wait is over."

"The Women's Reservation Bill has been passed by the Rajya Sabha."

"The Bill was passed with a majority."

"The celebration has begun at BJP's headquarters."

With this bill, 33% of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies

will be reserved for women.

And as the Prime Minister said,

"This bill is going to give new energy to our country's women."

In our country, the bill that every party wants to take

credit for is very interesting.

And that's what's happening with this bill.

BJP...

"PM Modi has shown a new direction to women's political struggle."

and Congress.

"The Bill is ours."

Right now, 15% of MPs in Lok Sabha

and 13% of MPs in Rajya Sabha are women.

Whereas, in other countries, female representation is more

in the parliament than in India.

And I'm not just talking about developed countries.

Even in Bangladesh, female representation is more.

That's why many female MPs thanked the Prime Minister.

"And everyone is happy."

"There is a wave of happiness and unity."

But the people of the country are also afraid.

They say that the purpose of this bill is to increase the

representation of women in our politics.

We have heard many times that the woman who fights for the

the election is not an independent woman,

but a politician's wife or daughter.

"In the last Panchayat election, the government had reserved

the seats for women."

"But Birj Bhushan is clever."

"He made his wife stand in his place and won the election."

Let me tell you about an incident in the Ballia district

of Uttar Pradesh in 2021.

Hathi Singh was 45 years old.

He had vowed to be a celibate all his life.

"I'm a celibate."

"I read Hanuman Chalisa every day."

He had been trying to become a Sarpanch for 10 years.

In 2015, he lost by 57 votes and came in second.

He thought he'd win the next election.

But the seat was reserved for women.

His mother was very old and she didn't trust any other woman.

Tired of this election issue, he decided to get married and

make his wife the head of a panchayat.

What Hathi Singh did in UP,

would happen all over the country?

Thankfully, many research papers have been published to

find the answer to this question.

But to understand this properly, we need to understand the

history of this bill.

If you're not interested in the political history of this bill,

but just want to know its impact, you can go to this timestamp.

But if you want a 360-degree understanding of this issue,

watch the entire video.

Because the discussion on this bill didn't start this year.

It started in 1996.

It took more than 25 years for this Bill to get approved.

During this time, leaders such as Lalu Prasad Yadav

and Yogi Adityanath opposed this Bill.

And I want to explain these details to you in this video.

It's 2008 and the UPA government is in power.

On 6th May 2008, the government introduced the Women's

Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.

Just when the Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj

was going to speak on this bill,

something happened in the Lok Sabha that shocked everyone.

Samajwadi Party MP Abbu Azmi ran ahead,

snatched a copy of the bill and tore it apart.

Another Samajwadi Party MP took pieces of the bill

and threw them back.

This is not a movie scene, but a Lok Sabha scene.

Why did the Samajwadi Party react so strongly?

To understand this,

we need to understand why this bill was being introduced.

The reservation was a topic of discussion

even before India gained independence.

In 1931, Begum Shahnawaz and Sarojini Naidu wrote to the

British Prime Minister to find out the status of women in

India's new constitution.

They said that women don't need special treatment.

They want their rights.

When there were debates in the Constituency Assembly in 1946,

the issue of women's reservation was raised.

There were 15 women members in the Constituency Assembly.

Sarojini Naidu, Renuka Ray, Hansa Mehta,

Vijayalakshmi Pandit, and many more.

But during the debates, it was found that many male members

didn't want such a reservation.

We can imagine that.

But many female members also didn't want such a reservation.

Because they believed that women should be given

recognition on merit, and not through special treatment.

Renuka Ray said,

We don't want a reservation for women.

We've always been against special treatment and reservations.

Renuka Ray believed that if women were given a reservation,

the ability of women would be denied.

She said that if women were given an opportunity on the

basis of their ability, they would definitely have a chance

to advance in free India.

Many other politicians, like H.V. Kamath,

also believed that women should be involved in politics,

but not through reservations.

Some other members had a different logic.

They said that government issues need serious calculations.

It requires a calm mind.

And women couldn't do such things.

Because such debates were taking place, the idea of women's reservation

was rejected by the Constituent Assembly.

But many years later, this issue came back into our politics.

In 1974, the Committee on the Status of Women in India argued that

we need to increase the representation of women in our politics.

These reservations weren't so popular at the national level.

But many states were taking initiative.

This started 9 years later.

In 1983, India won the Cricket World Cup.

And that year, Karnataka announced a historic decision.

They said that Karnataka will be the first state in India

to reserve 25% of seats for women in panchayati institutions.

After this, the National Perspective Plan for Women recommended 30%

reservation for women.

This was the first government document demanding 30% reservation.

Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister at that time

and he had a strong focus on panchayati institutions.

He believed that power should be decentralized through panchayats.

We saw the consequences in 1993 when the 73rd and 74th Amendments

were introduced in our constitution.

This was the first institutional step to increase women's

political participation in India.

These amendments reserved one-third of seats for women in

Panchayati Raj institutions.

Today, there are 21 states in India that have reserved 50%

seats for women in panchayati institutions.

Because of the reservation of panchayat institutions,

we have learned a lot about the impact of these reservations

and what kind of women benefit from them.

We'll talk about this later.

This story, which started with panchayat institutions,

followed in parliament and state assemblies.

In 1996, Ramakant Khalap received a call.

Ramakant was the Union Minister for Law and Justice at the time.

He was getting a call from HD Deve Gowda,

who had just become our Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister invited the Union Minister

for a cup of coffee.

The Law Minister went to meet the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister told him to prepare a women's reservation bill.

Why did Deve Gowda want to bring this bill?

Because in his political history,

he always stressed on the representation of women.

When he was the Chief Minister of Karnataka,

he gave 33% reservation to women in government jobs

and 50% reservation to women in educational institutions.

That's why, just three months after becoming the Prime Minister,

he asked his cabinet to discuss the women's reservation bill.

On September 9, 1996, this bill was presented in the Lok Sabha.

At that time, out of 543 members, only 40 were women.

But at that time, the government was a coalition government.

The United Front government had 13 political parties.

The Prime Minister couldn't get the support of all these

parties to pass this bill.

After that, this bill went to a Joint Select Committee,

which was headed by Geeta Mukherjee of the Communist Party of India.

Geeta Mukherjee said that she received thousands of

postcards where it was written with blood that this bill

should be passed during the Lok Sabha session.

But many times, this debate took a different form.

For example, MP Sharad Yadav was against this bill.

He gave a statement about who is a woman and who is not.

He said that women who have short hair will benefit from the reservation.

That is, women who are urban and modern.

And women from rural areas won't benefit from this reservation.

Ultimately, the bill failed to get passed.

Mary E. John,

a professor at the Center for Women's Development Studies,

said that many politicians feared that by giving

reservations to women, the representation of the general caste

will increase in the parliament.

Two years later, the NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee

also tried to pass this bill.

But again, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sharad Yadav

and Lalu Prasad Yadav were against this bill.

"Lalu and Mulayam strongly opposed women's reservation."

"RJD and SP MPs chanted slogans outside and inside the parliament."

The Vajpayee government tried to pass this bill in 1999, 2002 and 2003.

But in 1999, Jayalalithaa refused to support the Vajpayee government.

And later, many parties like the Samajwadi Party said that

as long as there is no reservation for marginalized communities,

we will not approve this bill.

"Women from the backward communities...from poor families...

from Dalit communities...Muslim women..."

"They represent the voices of 85-90% of the poor

and backward communities in Lok Sabha."

"The Congress and BJP government is trying to shun them from the parliament."

We heard similar arguments during Manmohan Singh's UPA government

when Lalu Prasad Yadav said he wanted a quota

in the bill for OBC, ST, SC and Muslim communities.

"We are not against the women's reservation."

"We don't care about the percentage, but we want the Muslim women,

the women of backward castes and the Dalit women

to have their reservation."

Mayawati was asking for a separate reservation for the Dalit women.

And Mulayam Singh Yadav said something else.

He said that if the women's reservation bill is passed,

the young men in the parliament will whistle.

Yogi Adityanath said that reservation already exist in panchayats.

Do we know that the reservation will affect the care of the children?

We should continue this experiment.

And if we find out later that it's successful,

we should put a quota in the parliament.

But the BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said that her

party supports the bill.

But even after that, the bill was not passed

even though in 2014, both the Congress and the BJP said

in their manifestos that they would pass the bill.

In 1996, Deve Gowda spoke about the bill.

And finally, in 2023, the bill was passed.

Because the BJP has so much political power in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,

they didn't have to worry about passing the bill.

Now, let's understand what this bill says.

It says that in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies,

33% of seats will be reserved for women.

Scheduled caste and scheduled tribe women's seats will be included.

It also says that these reservations will only be valid for 15 years.

If the parliament wants, it can extend this reservation.

"This women's reservation will only be valid for 15 years."

"If the parliament wants, it can extend this reservation."

The Union Law Minister said that this will increase the

number of women in the parliament from 82 to 181.

As in the women's reservation, there are reservations

for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women.

You could say there is another quota in the quota.

But this bill is not going to be implemented so soon.

Because to implement this bill, we need two things.

Census and delimitation.

Every 10 years, there is a census in our country.

The last census was in 2011.

The next census was supposed to be in 2021.

But due to COVID-19, this census didn't happen.

According to government sources, the next census

will be carried out in late 2024.

When this census is over, we'll know the population of each state.

It's estimated that our population has increased by 30% since 2011.

The Indian Constitution states that Lok Sabha seats will be

allocated to each state according to its population.

This is called delimitation.

As the population changes, our political map also changes.

Because our Constitution states that the population of each

constituency should be almost the same.

So, when our population is updated, the map and number of

seats in Lok Sabha will also be updated.

According to one estimate, from 543 seats,

there will be 753 seats in our parliament.

It's estimated that more seats will be allocated to states

with more population.

Like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

This means that the relative power of North Indian states

will increase and South Indian states will decrease.

This is a big issue that Southern Indian states are raising.

I've made a separate video on this topic.

You can watch it later.

So, you got it.

First, there will be a census.

Then, there will be delimitation.

The census will start in late 2024.

It may take 2 years.

So, delimitation will happen in 2029.

This means that reservations will start in 2029, not now.

Now, let's come to the main issue.

Will these reservations benefit our country and women?

We shouldn't forget the political impact of this bill.

Because this is going to be a big challenge for political parties.

If Lok Sabha gets 750 seats in 6 years, it means that

political parties will need 250 women to become MPs.

This means that political parties will have to create a bench strength.

What's the best way to find this bench strength?

Panchayat.

In 2010, Yogi Adityanath said,

First, let's see how these reservations work in the panchayat.

Then, we'll bring them to the parliament.

Thankfully, there's been a lot of research on this.

We can see the impact of women's reservations in our panchayats.

First, let's talk about the objectives of bringing

reservations to the panchayat.

There were 3 objectives.

We'll measure on the basis of these 3 objectives whether

the reservation was beneficial or not.

The first objective was that the representation of women should increase.

And not of women who are proxy candidates.

"What difference would I make?"

"You're the head of the village."

"Why do you keep forgetting that?"

"I'm not a head!"

The second objective was,

did these women raise issues faced by the women?

Did they bring any on-the-ground changes?

Because the main objective of bringing reservations to women

was for the government to think more about women's issues.

The third objective was, did this reservation change the

society's opinion about women?

Because I believe that no reservation should be permanent.

The objective of a reservation is to increase the

representation of a marginalized community.

And after that, it should prove to the society how capable

they are and how much reservation is needed.

So, let's talk about the first objective.

3 years ago, if you'd been to the Attari Gram Panchayat,

you'd see something written on every wall.

Anil Yadav, the Gram Pradhan of 2019.

Who's Anil Yadav?

He's not the Gram Pradhan.

His mother is the Gram Pradhan.

When he was asked about this,

he said he was just Pradhan's representative.

My mother is the Gram Pradhan.

And she gives all the consent.

I just execute her orders.

When villagers were asked about this, someone said,

wherever a woman is in charge,

75% of the work is done by her husband, son, or father-in-law.

In fact, in India, there's even a term for this.

'Pati Pradhan.'

"Is he coming?"

"Is SHE coming?"

"In the last Panchayat election, the government had reserved

this for women, right?"

"It means that Manju Devi is the official Pradhan."

"And Brijbhushan Ji is the Pradhan Pati."

This was also seen in Haryana.

The Pradhan was Kamla Devi.

But villagers used to say,

Kamla Devi has the name, but Pradeep Ji's work plays the game.

Pradeep Ji was her son.

A Punjab minister found that women Sarpanchs don't even

attend their meetings.

The research found that 17% of the women Pradhan's husbands

were former Pradhan or councillors.

43% said that their husbands regularly helped them in their work.

And 89% of women Pradhans didn't participate in

any Panchayat activity before becoming Pradhan.

If we compare them to male Pradhan, the research found that

their education level and political experience are much lower.

This is why many people are afraid that this will happen in

our Parliament as well.

But research found an interesting thing.

This was seen more in North India.

But the situation was different in South India.

In South India, women Pradhan's education and

experience were much better.

But we need to understand that the objective of these reservations

was to give women opportunities who didn't get any opportunities.

In a complex political situation, it's possible that the women

whose husbands have been Pradhans take advantage of the reservations.

But this situation can change in the future.

And research has found that.

Dr. Chandrasekhar Pran said that in 25 years, women's role

in Panchayats has changed a lot.

And this is only because of reservations.

In the last 25 years, 14.5 lakh women have got opportunities

to take a leadership position in our local government.

A 2016 study showed that 86% of women who fought for

elections in Panchayats and districts fought because these

seats were reserved for women.

This shows us that new women got political opportunities.

That means the reservation worked.

We can see this from the analysis of the second objective.

Did the women who got this opportunity work for women as well?

Research has shown that when a woman is Pradhan,

other women get the confidence so that they can talk about their issues.

A 2012 study showed that the reporting of crimes against women

increased by 26% because of these reservations.

And the reporting didn't increase because the crimes increased.

But because women got the confidence that they can report these crimes.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Esther Duflo has shown in her research

that women leaders spend money on resources that help women.

A study in Haryana showed that because of reservations,

female child mortality decreased by 20%.

It's important to note that some studies also showed that

these reservations didn't have a huge impact.

One study showed that it's not that women leaders worked

more on women's issues.

Another study showed that these reservations didn't have a huge impact.

But to counter this, some researchers said that it happened

because these women didn't have the education and

experience to execute their policies.

This means that if we want these leaders to work well,

we need to support them.

The third objective was whether these reservations

changed the perspective of the society, especially men.

And a researcher gave a positive answer to this.

A study showed that 15% of women who used to win from

a reserved seat were able to win elections in an unreserved

seat later on.

In Karnataka, women have 50% reservation in Panchayati Raj institutions.

But women currently hold more than 50% of the seats.

Research has shown that when women take up leadership,

the villagers' confidence in women changes.

You can imagine that reservation is changing the

the perspective of a village.

This might be because women aren't just working for women,

but for the entire village.

For example, after a female village head was elected,

incidents of bribes decreased in the village.

We need to understand that there are exceptions in every field.

This doesn't mean that women can't be corrupt.

We're talking about what research has found on average.

"You did a great job by installing the CCTV cameras."

"If you think so, vote for me in the next election as well."

"Yes, absolutely."

There was a time when women voted less than men in our country.

But today, the situation is very different.

In the 2019 general elections, the male and female turnout

was almost the same.

In the 2022 state elections in Himachal Pradesh,

women voted more than men.

"Inflation..."

"Unemployment.."

"...these are the issues."

Now, women are very politically active in our country.

And that's why, no matter which party you support,

this bill is historic in our country.

Because of this political participation, many political parties

are now trying to appeal to women.

Be it the BJP...

"This scheme is not only liberating the poor women from smoke."

"But it'll become a medium for their empowerment."

...or the Trinamool Congress.

Lokniti-CSGS showed that in Uttarakhand and Jammu,

women support the BJP,

in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK,

in Kerala, UDF,

and in Bengal, Trinamool Congress.

Interestingly, in the next 6 years, which political party

will be able to form a good bench strength for women leaders?

Some experts are speculating that this will only benefit the BJP

because they've been giving opportunities to women

in their organization for a long time.

And this will harm many regional parties,

like the RGD or the Samajwadi Party,

where women don't have a big role in their party.

We won't see the political impact of this bill today,

but we'll see it in 5-6 years.

And hopefully, some of these women leaders

will talk about women's health.

I recently made a video on why the problem of obesity in India

is more in women than in men.

Do watch this video to find out.

It's a serious issue.

If you want to know more about delimitation, check out this video.