The Women's Reservation Bill was first introduced in 1996 by the Deve Gowda government. In March 2010, the Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 186-1 votes; and history was created. However, due to immense opposition and violence from various regional parties, the Bill wasn’t even tabled in the Lok Sabha. It has been ten years since then. With just 14.3% women elected to our Parliament, without a gender quota, women representation continues to remain marginal causing a massive deficit in our democracy. The Women’s Reservation Bill, a single step, is considered as the surest way of immediately achieving at least 33% representation.
She Runs Government dialogues is a platform organised by Femme First Foundation where political leaders discuss how to advance women's political leadership in India. The Quint has partnered with Femme First Foundation for a two-day webinar on the issue of Women's Reservation Bill.