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Difficulty: MediumNational Events, Acts, and Governance Initiatives

The Parliament of India enacted the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, widely recognized as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, to enhance women's political participation in legislative governance. Which of the following statements correctly describes a key statutory and constitutional feature of this governance initiative?

  1. A
    It mandates an immediate 33 percent quota for women across both Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) as well as State Legislative Councils, taking effect without requiring any subsequent census or delimitation.
  2. It reserves one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, taking effect after a delimitation exercise conducted following the first post-enactment census.Answer
  3. C
    It operates purely as a statutory amendment to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prescribing a 50 percent reservation for women across all direct legislative elections for an unextendable period of 25 years.
  4. D
    It introduces constitutional reservation for women in local self-government institutions (Panchayati Raj and Municipalities) by incorporating Article 243D and Article 243T for the first time in Indian constitutional history.

Answer

The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 reserves one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, taking effect following a delimitation exercise based on the first census conducted after its enactment.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) provides for reserving one-third of the total seats for women in the Lok Sabha (Article 330A), State Legislative Assemblies (Article 332A), and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Article 239AA). Crucially, Article 334A specifies that this reservation shall come into effect only after a delimitation exercise is carried out based on the published figures of the first census undertaken after the Act's commencement, with an initial tenure of 15 years subject to parliamentary extension.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the constitutional scope and bodies covered under the 106th Amendment Act
The Act amends Article 239AA and inserts new Articles 330A and 332A to provide one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi (excluding the Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Councils).
Constitutional provisions apply specifically to directly elected popular legislative houses.
2
Analyze the commencement mechanism and sunset conditions set out under Article 334A
Article 334A stipulates that the reservation will become effective after a delimitation exercise is conducted based on the relevant figures of the first census taken after the commencement of the Act, operating initially for a duration of 15 years.
Implementation is institutionally linked to demographic delimitation rather than being immediate upon presidential notification.

Key Concept

Key provisions and implementation architecture of the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam)
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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National Events, Acts, and Governance Initiatives

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