Consider the following statements regarding ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’: 1. Provisions will come into effect from the 18th Lok Sabha. 2. This will be in force for 15 years after becoming an Act. 3. There are provisions for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes Women within the quota reserved for the Scheduled Castes. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is Incorrect: According to the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), the newly inserted Article 334A specifies that the reservation will come into effect only after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken for this purpose after the relevant figures for the first census taken after the commencement of the Act have been published. Consequently, it did not apply to the 18th Lok Sabha elections.
Statement 2 is Correct: The Act provides that the reservation of seats for women shall continue for a period of 15 years from the date of its commencement. However, the Parliament has the authority to extend this period by law.
Statement 3 is Correct: The Act includes provisions for horizontal reservation, ensuring that one-third of the seats already reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies are reserved for women from those respective categories.