Globally women MPs on the rise, but not in India

July 8, 2012

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New Delhi, July 8: Here's one area where India is at variance with the global trend. While worldwide more women are calling the shots in parliaments and shaping laws, in India the growth in the number of women legislators has virtually been flat. Here are the numbers. Globally, there has been a 75% increase in the number of women parliamentarians in the seven-year period between 1995 and 2012. But India, where our male MPs have doggedly nixed all attempts to bring in women's reservation in Parliament, in a 11-year period between 1991 and 2012 their presence has gone up marginally from 9.7% to 10.96%.

According to the Millennium Development Goals Report 2012, released by the United Nations, while 11.3% of seats were held by women worldwide in 1995, the number had increased to 19.7% by 2012. Despite 15 general elections, the number in India is much lower.

As on November 2011, India, the world's largest democracy, has only 60 women representatives out of 544 members in Lok Sabha while there are 26 female MPs in the 241-member Rajya Sabha. According to data released by Inter parliamentary union (IPU), India ranks 98 in the world for proportion of parliament seats held by women.

UN's MDG Goals report adds that although the number of countries with women as head of government, head of state or both has more than doubled since 2005, in absolute terms the number - 17 - remains rather modest. The percentage of women ministers worldwide also improved only slightly, from 14.2% in 2005 to 16.7% in 2012.

Across the world, the most common ministerial portfolios held by women ministers have tended to be in social affairs, family and youth, women's affairs or education. According to the UN, the use of special measures or quotas were an important factor helping women to enter parliaments. Of the 59 countries that held elections in 2011 for lower or single houses, 26 had implemented special measures favouring women, and electoral quotas were used in 17. Where quotas were used, women took 27.4% of seats as opposed to 15.7% of seats in countries without any form of quota.

UN says "While trends point to an increase in women's parliamentary representation, the rate of representation remains low overall and progress is spread unevenly. The highest level is found in the Nordic countries, especially following recent gains in Denmark and Finland. Among developing regions, Latin America and the Caribbean continue to rank the highest, with a 23% average." Sub-Saharan Africa holds the second-highest regional ranking in women's representation in parliaments, 20%. Progress here was sustained thanks to the existence of quotas — mainly reserved seats. In Asia, women made gains in only one country — Thailand in the 2011 elections.

More than a third of the countries with 30% or more women MPs are in transition from conflict. Women are elected in greater numbers in systems of proportional representation than they are in majority electoral systems. The data collected on elections in 2011 indicates that women were not vying for seats in sufficient numbers to make a large electoral impact. But notably, once they run for office, they are elected at about the same rate as men.

Times View

The gender skew in Indian Parliament is something that needs to be corrected. Quite clearly, the figures here build a strong case for reservation for women in legislatures. Parties say that they don't put up more women as candidates because their 'winnability' is poor. This is a specious argument. First, if it were true, it actually makes the case for reservation stronger since that would ensure that their winnability is assured in at least one-third of the constituencies. Secondly, how does that account for the fact that even in the Rajya Sabha, where only MLAs and not the general public vote, women constitute only about 10%?


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News Network
February 13,2020

New Delhi, Feb 13: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has congratulated AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal for his party's stupendous victory in the Delhi Assembly polls, saying the people of the national capital will continue to benefit from his leadership.

Responding to the Dalai Lama's statement, Kejriwal in a tweet on Wednesday said, "Am humbled by the kind words and blessings from His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Thank you very much @DalaiLama."

Referring to the Happiness Curriculum for government schools in Delhi, the Dalai Lama said he has a deep admiration for the efforts the AAP government has made towards "shaping better, happier human beings with improved values".

"These measures will have a positive impact on children's overall education, as well as helping the poor to fulfil their dreams of improving their lives," he said.

He also lauded the AAP government's initiative to incorporate aspects of inner mental development into the school curriculum.

"Through such initiatives, you are showing a path to the rest of India," the Dalai Lama added.

In a near-repeat performance of 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday retained power with a stunning victory, winning 62 of the 70 assembly seats and leaving the BJP with just eight seats.

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News Network
June 13,2020

New Delhi, June 13: A quarantine notice pasted outside former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 3, Motilal Nehru Place residence has raised speculations among media and political circles.

According to reports, the daughter of a domestic help who works at Singh’s residence has tested positive. She and her family, who live in the servant quarters, have been quarantined.

Singh, who has not been keeping well for some time, is slowly getting active. Congress leaders said the former Prime Minister attended a meeting of the party’s consultative committee on Thursday through video conference.

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News Network
August 6,2020

New Delhi Aug 6: In a new twist in the Vijay Mallya case, a certain document connected with the case in the Supreme Court has gone missing from the apex court files. 

A bench comprising Justices U.U. Lalit and Ashok Bhushan adjourned the hearing to August 20.

It was hearing the review plea filed by Mallya against a July 14, 2017 judgment wherein he was found guilty of contempt for not paying Rs 9,000 crore dues to banks despite repeated directions, although he had transferred $40 million to his children.

The bench was looking for a reply on an intervention application, which it seemed has gone missing from the case papers.Parties involved in the case sought more time to file fresh copies.

On June 19, the Supreme Court sought explanation from its registry regarding Mallya's appeal against the May 2017 conviction in the contempt case for not repaying Rs 9,000 crore dues to banks not listed for the last 3 years.

A bench comprising Justices Lalit and Bhushan had asked the Registry to furnish all the details including names of the officials who had dealt with the file concerning the Review Petition for last three years.

The bench said according to the record, placed before it, the review petition was not listed before the court for last three years. "Before we deal with the submissions raised in the Review Petition, we direct the Registry to explain why the Review Petition was not listed before the concerned Court for last three years," said the bench.In May 2017, the apex court held him guilty of contempt of court for transferring $40 million to his children, and ordered him to appear on July 10 to argue on the quantum of punishment.

The bench said let the explanation be furnished within two weeks. "The Review Petition shall, thereafter, be considered on merits," it added.In 2017, the apex court passed the order on a contempt petition against Mallya by a consortium of banks led by the SBI. 

The banks claimed Mallya transferred $40 million from Daigeo to his children's accounts, and did not use this money to clear his debt. Banks cited this as violation of judicial orders.

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