Question 96 from UPSC CSE 2024 - Current Affairs (Polity & Governan ce)

Question

Consider the following statements regarding 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam':
1. Provisions will come into effect from the 18th Lok Sabha.
2. This will be in force for 15 years after becoming an Act.
3. There are provisions for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes Women within the quota reserved for the Scheduled Castes.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. 2 and 3 only

Strategy: Start by isolating the effective date: the Act's key provision is that implementation starts after a delimitation exercise based on the first Census after the Act's commencement—not specifically from the 18th Lok Sabha. This makes Statement 1 incorrect. Statement 2 matches the widely reported 15-year duration post-enactment—this is correct. Statement 3 requires knowledge that reservation for SC women within the SC quota is included, as per the Act's sub-reservation clause—so this is correct. Eliminate options containing Statement 1; only option C (2 and 3) matches.

Key Info: The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, formally known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, provides for reservation of not less than one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.

Implementation Timeline:
- The provisions come into force only after the first delimitation exercise is conducted post-publication of the relevant Census figures after the commencement of the Act. There is no specific mention of the 18th Lok Sabha as the start point.

Duration:
- The reservation is provided for a period of 15 years from the commencement date of the Act. This period can be extended by a future constitutional amendment if necessary.

Reservation Details:
- Of the one-third of seats reserved for women, a sub-quota exists for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) women, proportional to their electoral strength. This ensures representation within the total 33% reservation for women. This sub-reservation was absent in earlier women's reservation proposals but is a key feature of this Act.

Exclusions:
- The Act does not provide for reservations for women in the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) or State Legislative Councils.

Constitutional Reference:
- The Act inserted Articles 330A and 332A for reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, respectively. Previous efforts to provide similar reservations failed to become law despite repeated introduction of similar bills over the preceding decades. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam marks the first successful effort at constitutional-level reservation of legislative seats for women in India.

Answer

Option A: 1, 2, and 3

Answer

Option B: 1 and 2 only

Answer

Option D: 1 and 3 only