NEW DELHI: National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has said women in India are not merely participants but leaders who have demonstrated their capabilities across sectors, expressing confidence that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam will be implemented soon to ensure greater representation of women in Parliament and state assemblies. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Rahatkar said women had proved their leadership abilities whenever they were given opportunities, citing their growing representation in Panchayati Raj institutions following the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments. "Women in our country are not merely participants; they are women who lead the nation. And this is not just something we say. We have witnessed this since ancient times. Women in India have demonstrated leadership in every section of society and in every field," she said. Referring to the 33 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions, Rahatkar said there were initial doubts about whether women would be able to discharge their responsibilities effectively. "Initially, people wondered how women would function, assuming that they had come into the system only for five years. However, women learned their work, and today, they have performed so well that many state governments have increased the reservation to 50 per cent," she said. "Today, when we look back, we can see that women have performed exceptionally well under the 33 per cent reservation. This is why several state governments subsequently increased the reservation to 50 per cent," Rahatkar said. She pointed out that women's representation in some state legislative houses had risen to 54, 55 and even 56 per cent, with women also getting elected from open general category seats apart from those reserved for them. "Today, I see several states where women's representation has gone beyond the mandated 50 per cent reservation. Apart from the 50 per cent reserved seats, women are also getting elected from the open general category," she said. Emphasising the need to provide equal opportunities and bridge the gender gap, the NCW chief said the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was an important step towards ensuring greater participation of women in decision-making. "Today, after years of waiting, we have finally seen the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in our country. Now, all that remains is its implementation," she said. Rahatkar expressed confidence that consensus would be built among stakeholders for implementing the legislation and that women would make an outstanding contribution in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. "We are confident that, in the coming days, after building consensus among all stakeholders once again, this legislation will be implemented, and women will make an outstanding contribution in their respective fields, whether in the Lok Sabha or the state legislative assemblies," she said. She said women had consistently demonstrated their ability to discharge responsibilities with dedication and fairness wherever they were given leadership roles. "We have seen that wherever women enter, they discharge their responsibilities with complete dedication and a strong sense of fairness. I am confident that the daughters of our country will not lag behind here either. We are now simply waiting for the reservation to be implemented," Rahatkar said. The Women's Reservation Act, 2023, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, came into force on April 16, 2026, following a notification issued by the Union Law Ministry. The law provides for the quota to be implemented after a delimitation exercise undertaken following the first census conducted after its commencement. However, the government could not get a bill passed that proposed to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before
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