Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed his happiness after the Lok Sabha passed the Bill to extend the reservation for SCs and STs in the Lower House and State assemblies by another ten years, saying that his government is committed towards citizen empowerment.
"I am overjoyed on the unanimous passage of The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Amendment) Bill, 2019 that extends SC/ST reservations for ten more years. We are unwaveringly committed towards the empowerment of our citizens, especially the marginalised," Modi tweeted.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Amendment) Bill, 2019, was passed with a division with 355 members voting in its favour and none against it.
With several members expressing concern over the Bill not having provision for extending the reservation for Anglo-Indians, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government will take a call on the issue.
He said the need for the Bill has been brought as the reservation for SCs and STs will end on January 25, 2020.
Speaker Om Birla said the Constitution Amendment Bill had been passed by a majority of the total membership of the House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting.