Women's Reservation Will Open New Avenues For Political Leadership, Says Om Birla

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has said the 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies will create new opportunities for women to take on leadership roles in politics. He said women’s participation in public life should go beyond receiving support and should increasingly involve shaping policies, laws and decisions that affect society.

Speaking at the inauguration of a two-day All-India Capacity Building Workshop on ‘Gender-Responsive Governance’ in Faridabad, organised by the National Commission for Women, Mr. Birla emphasised the importance of strengthening women’s role in governance. He said greater representation would help create opportunities for women to contribute more directly to policymaking and public administration.

Mr. Birla said women legislators at different levels of government could play an important role in ensuring that laws and policies reflect realities at the grassroots. This includes women representatives in Parliament and State Assemblies as well as those serving in panchayats and municipalities. Their experience and participation, he said, can help bring ground-level concerns into legislative discussions.

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The Speaker also highlighted the broader potential for women’s participation in public services. He expressed the view that the country was moving towards a stage where women could account for more than half of public services. Such participation, he suggested, would further strengthen women's presence in decision-making institutions and expand their contribution to governance.

The workshop on gender-responsive governance is aimed at building capacity and promoting greater awareness of gender considerations in governance and policymaking. Discussions around women's representation are particularly significant as India continues to debate ways of increasing women's participation across political and administrative institutions.

Birla's remarks underline the wider objective of encouraging women not merely as beneficiaries of government programmes but as active participants in shaping public policy. Greater representation in legislatures and local governing bodies could provide more avenues for women to influence laws and administrative decisions, while ensuring that policymaking remains connected to the concerns and experiences of communities at the grassroots level.

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