Nagaland Nod for 33% Quota for Women in Urban Local Bodies

Relevance: Indian Polity, Law, Governance, Constitutional Rights, Fundamental rights, Women's Rights, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, Women's representation in politics, Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, Article 371(A)

Primary Source: The Hindu

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Why in the news?

• Recently, Nagaland's Legislative Assembly passed a bill to reserve 33% of seats in urban local bodies (ULBs) for women.
• This bill addresses a longstanding contentious issue, facilitating municipal elections in Nagaland after a 20-year hiatus.

What is the Significant Development in Nagaland?

• Nagaland Assembly's Decision: The Nagaland Assembly unanimously passed a bill to reserve 33% of seats in urban local bodies (ULBs) for women.
• Supreme Court's Directive: The provision for one-third reservation for women in ULBs aligns with a directive from the Supreme Court of India.
• Delay in Municipal Elections: Municipal elections in Nagaland were overdue, with the last polls held in 2004. The delay was attributed to unresolved issues related to Naga peace talks and the controversy over women's reservation in ULBs.
• Civil Society's Role: The Naga Mothers’ Association, a prominent civil society organization, along with women legislators, expressed happiness over the bill's passage, highlighting the role of civil advocacy in effecting this change.

What was the Hindrance?

• Earlier, apex tribal bodies in Nagaland opposed this reservation, claiming it infringed on Nagaland's special rights under Article 371(A) of the Indian Constitution.
• This article grants special status to Nagaland, acknowledging the unique customs and social practices of the Naga people.
• However, these bodies eventually accepted the reservation, marking a significant shift in local political and social attitudes.

Other Important Constitutional Provisions

• Article 14: Ensures equality before the law and equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.
• Article 15: Prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.
• Article 16: Provides for equality of opportunity in matters of public employment.
• 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments: These amendments, dealing with Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies respectively, provide for the reservation of seats for women in these bodies.

Exclusion from the Bill

• The Nagaland Municipal Bill, 2023, excludes provisions related to taxes on land and buildings.
• The earlier provision for reserving one-third of the ULB chairperson positions for women is not included in the new bill.

Conclusion

The bill marks a significant step towards gender equality in Nagaland's urban governance. With the bill's passage, Nagaland is poised to conduct municipal elections, addressing a critical gap in local governance since 2004.

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: Consider the following statements:

1. The Women's Reservation Bill proposes to reserve 33% of all seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women.
2. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments provide for at least one-third reservation for women in local self-governing bodies.
3. The National Commission for Women was set up in 1992 to address the issues of women's rights and representation.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Question: Given below are two statements, one labeled as Assertion(A) and the other labeled as Reason (R) (UPSC 1997)

Assertion (A): Reservation of thirty-three percent of seats for women in Parliament and State Legislature does not require any Constitutional amendment.

Reason (R): Political parties contesting elections can allocate thirty-three percent of seats they contest to women candidates without any Constitutional amendment.

In the context of the above two statements which one of the following is correct?

(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A

(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A

(c) A is true but R is false

(d) A is false but R is true

Question:  Which article of the Indian Constitution provides special rights to Nagaland?

(a) Article 370

(b) Article 371(A)

(c) Article 32

(d) Article 15