NEW DELHI, April 16: Union Minister of State for Steel Srinivas Varma on Thursday said that the Women's Reservation Constitutional Amendment Bill, taken up for debate in Parliament, had generated enormous anticipation among women across the country. He observed that women in both rural and urban areas were visibly glued to their television sets, eagerly watching the proceedings of the debate as they unfolded in real time.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister emphasised that ensuring adequate representation for women in politics — particularly in decision-making positions — was essential for the holistic development of the nation. He expressed the view that greater participation of women in governance would accelerate positive changes in the social and economic spheres at a much faster pace.

Pointing to the tangible results of reservations extended to women in local bodies across the country, Srinivas Varma argued that a similar transformation was now needed at the level of State Legislatures and Parliament. The impact of women's participation in local governance had already been felt nationwide, he said, and it was time to replicate that success at higher levels of democratic representation.

Expressing confidence that the Women's Reservation Constitutional Amendment Bill would be passed, the Minister described its enactment as a pivotal milestone in the political history of India. The Bill would significantly enhance the political representation of women and further strengthen democracy in the country, he added.

Calling upon all political parties to set aside their differences and extend wholehearted support to the Bill, Srinivas Varma said that collective cooperation was indispensable for legislation that advances women's empowerment. In the larger national interest, all sections of society and political opinion must work together to ensure the Bill's passage, he urged.

Amaravati, April 14: The Andhra Pradesh BC Employees Federation has urged the Central government to provide a special sub-quota for Backward Classes women within the Women's Reservation Bill, warning that social justice would remain incomplete without adequate representation for the state's most marginalised communities.

State president Polaki Srinivasarao, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said that while the provision of 33 per cent reservation for women was a welcome development, it was imperative to ensure that BC women received a defined share within that allocation. The absence of any explicit guarantee for BC women in the current framework, he cautioned, would render the bill's empowerment objectives only partially fulfilled.

Mr. Srinivasarao pointed out that Backward Classes constitute a significant proportion of the country's population, and their continued exclusion from meaningful political representation would impede their socio-economic advancement. He drew particular attention to the challenges faced by BC women in rural areas, arguing that political representation offered them the most effective platform for addressing structural inequities.

Drawing a parallel with existing provisions for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women under the bill, the Federation president argued that extending a comparable sub-quota to BC women was essential to achieving genuine equality. Such a measure, he said, would not merely serve political ends but contribute substantively to broader social equilibrium.

The Federation called upon the Central government to respond without delay, introduce appropriate amendments to the Women's Reservation Bill, and initiate a nationwide consultative process that takes into account the views of all sections of society before the legislation is finalised.