Charu Garg, a Chartered Accountant working with an international corporate group in Bengaluru, thanks parliamentarians for the passage of Nari Shakti Vandan bill. Her views:
First of all, I would like to applaud our law makers to pass this very important ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ (Women’s Reservation Bill) in both house of Parliament so that it can become a law. I firmly believe that this bill will lead the way towards nation building at this very historical juncture in our journey as a nation.
Women form half of the world’s population and are supposed to be the key decision makers and stakeholders in the nation building process and progress. It is undeniable and established sufficiently with facts and figures that forums where women have been given equal opportunities and better representation are more progressive and deliver far better results. We have a good example of this in the Indian Panchayat system where we have done quite well in terms of having women representatives in the system; hence better administration for many years now. We find better governance, greater social upliftment, lesser crime and faster problem solving in most of these villages where women are leading the way.
I come from the corporate world and have worked for over two decades in this sphere where diversity and inclusion are considered a business initiative rather than a social initiative. The idea is to have diverse perspectives and brainstorming which result in enhanced idea generation and more effective decision making leading to more profitable businesses.
If we are leaving out half of the total population from participation in key policy decision making platforms, then, I believe we are missing on some very important viewpoints which impact not just these 50% of the people but also the lives of other family members around them as women are the primary care givers and housekeepers in the Indian context.
ALSO READ: ‘BJP Wants Credit for Women Quota Bill But Shields Brij Bhushan’
We can take the example from our household where both mother and father are the primary decision makers in that small unit for it to work efficiently. Likewise, having one third of women reservation in the parliament would be the right step in the direction to make our upper house, lower house and state legislations more diverse and more efficient.
In the recently concluded G20 summit under the leadership of Bharat, we have shown the way to the rest of world to focus on women-led development rather than women development and this bill is the only right step towards focusing on women empowerment and women led development.
I have two grown-up daughters who are still studying and as a mother I would want for them to have equal opportunity in all spheres of life; education, work and for our state and national policies to be such that it gives them the choice and the strength to lead life on their own terms. With 33% representation of women in the parliament they can be sure to have their voice heard, their interest safe-guarded and their wants prioritized. Reservation in higher education has increased the opportunities for women and the industry is not complaining. Infact, welcoming these women in work force with open arms, I am assuming that passing of this bill will also have the same impact on our society and nation.
I would like to conclude that women have been denied their rights for many generations and many centuries and now is the time when we can correct past mistakes and if reservation for women in various levels of governance is what it takes to empower them right back, then that is the need of the hour. We should support this fully and come together to form a stronger, vibrant and inclusive nation.
As told to Deepa Gupta
