NEW DELHI, August 7 — India now has over 14.5 lakh elected women representatives (EWRs) in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) — accounting for 46% of all elected representatives — the highest such share in the world, Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur informed Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session.
Responding to a question raised by Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu, Thakur also noted that 21 states have gone beyond the constitutional mandate of 33% reservation and adopted 50% reservation for women in PRIs. “This is a reflection of India’s growing commitment to gender equity in governance,” she said.
Highlighting the government’s focused efforts on political empowerment of women at the grassroots level, the Minister said, “The Union Government has launched the Sashakt Panchayat-Netri Abhiyan, a comprehensive, targeted capacity-building initiative to sharpen the leadership and decision-making skills of women elected to Panchayats.”
She added that customized training modules and a Primer on Laws Addressing Gender-Based Violence have been developed to equip women leaders with tools to overcome on-ground challenges. A Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayat Initiative has also been introduced, with the goal of establishing at least one model, gender-responsive Panchayat in every district.
The Union government, she said, has adopted a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” approach, empowering women at every stage of life. “Ten crore women linked to over 90 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs) are not only transforming the rural economy but also taking up greater leadership roles,” she said.
Satnam Singh Sandhu, raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha, lauded the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill — Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam — as a historic milestone. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled a decades-old national demand by passing this transformative legislation,” Sandhu said. “India cannot achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047 without ensuring equal participation of women in politics.”
Passed in 2023 as the 106th Constitutional Amendment, the Bill provides 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and all State Legislative Assemblies, including the Delhi Assembly. “This institutionalizes women’s representation at the highest levels of public decision-making,” Thakur said.
The Minister also shared data reflecting India’s evolving political landscape:
- Women candidates in general elections rose from 3% in 1957 to 10% in 2024.
- In the 1st Lok Sabha, only 22 women were elected; that number rose to 75 in the current 18th Lok Sabha, making up nearly 14% of the House.
- In the Rajya Sabha, women members increased from 15 in 1952 to 42 currently, comprising 17% of the House.
Thakur concluded by stating that the government’s vision for political empowerment of women is long-term, structured, and essential for achieving true participatory democracy.
