Op-ed: The Indian debate on quotas for economically weaker sections has ignored quotas for women

Even as the Government is hastily drafting the quota Bill for the EWS section, like most predecessors, it has orphaned the Women’s Reservation Bill The recent Bill, reserving 10 per cent quota for the economically weaker sections (EWS) among the upper castes has been intensively debated over its utility, propriety and Constitutionality but discussions have roundly ignored the group that has once again been given the short shrift in prioritising the policy of reservation. The obvious reference here is to the Women’s Reservation Bill or the Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill of 2008, which seeks to reserve 33 per cent of the seats in Parliament and all State legislative Assemblies for women. Although the Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010, it is still not a law as the Lok Sabha is yet to ratify it.
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