A strong plea for the passage of the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament was made today by the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW).
The Bill, which was passed by Rajya Sabha on March 9, 2010, is still awaiting approval in Lok Sabha.
A NFIW delegation, which met Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, urged her to "take personal interest and intervene on the behalf of all the women of India" and impress upon the government "to place the Bill on the agenda with priority so that the Bill becomes an Act."
A release quoted Kumar as saying that "the matter is close to her heart and she would explore all possibilities to see that the Bill is brought into the agenda and get it passed."
NFIW leaders, led by President Aruna Roy and General Secretary Annie Raja, have been holding a protest sit-in for over a week to press for their demand for passage of the women's bill.
