Women have always been change-makers in India's history: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

New Delhi:Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday exuded confidence that women will have greater representation than the 33 per cent reservation to be implemented for them in state legislative assemblies and the Lok Sabha in the coming years.

Addressing a two-day capacity-building workshop for women legislators organised by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in Faridabad, Birla said women have always been change makers throughout India's history and heritage -- from the freedom movement to nation-building, from the making of the Constitution to taking the country forward.

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"There is already 33 per cent reservation, but in the coming time, women will lead beyond that percentage in the states, legislative assemblies and the Lok Sabha," Birla said.

He said women's leadership was now visible across social, political, government and private sectors.

"There is hardly any field where women are not providing leadership. Whether it is social service, government services, private companies, social leadership or political leadership, women are leading in every sphere," Birla said.

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"India's President is also a woman. She has devoted her life to serving the people, including those at the last mile of society, and today she is leading not only the entire community of women but the entire country," he said.

He said the workshop should provide a platform for women legislators to share their experiences, ideas and perspectives and deliberate on policies, schemes and laws needed to address women's concerns.

"In a democracy, dialogue, sensitivity, aspirations, people's difficulties and challenges can find solutions only through discussion and dialogue," he said.

He said women should no longer be viewed merely as beneficiaries of government initiatives but should play a greater role in policy making and lawmaking.

"The time has now come not merely to say that the government is giving something to women or that the government is working towards women's empowerment. Women themselves will make policies, formulate schemes and make laws," he said.
Birla also highlighted the growing presence of women in various services and expressed confidence that their representation would rise further.

"Whether it is the IAS, IPS, the Forest Service or other services, there was a time when women constituted only 15 to 20 per cent of the leadership in these fields. Today, women are leading in more than 40 per cent of every field," he said.

He said he expected women to account for more than half of the leadership in the country's and states' services within the next decade.

"I say from this platform that within the next 10 years, women will constitute more than 50 per cent of the leadership in the country's and states' services and institutions," he said.

NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said women's meaningful participation in governance is essential for building an inclusive, responsive and equitable society.

"Women legislators bring valuable perspectives and lived experiences to the process of policy-making and public decision-making," she said.

Rahatkar said women legislators are not merely representatives of women's issues but also voices on education, health, economy, technology, environment, infrastructure, digital security and good governance.

The NCW has organised a two-day All-India Capacity Building Workshop on the theme "Gender-Responsive Governance" in Faridabad to enhance the political capabilities of women.

The programme is being organised under the NCW's flagship "She is a Changemaker" initiative.