Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday (September 7, 2026) said the 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies would open new avenues for women’s political leadership, stressing that the role of women must move beyond receiving support to shaping policies and laws.
Inaugurating a two-day All-India Capacity Building Workshop on ‘Gender-Responsive Governance’, organised by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in Faridabad, Mr. Birla said the day was not far when women would account for more than 50% of public services.
The focus should shift from merely providing women with support and opportunities to enabling them to actively determine policies, programmes, and legislation addressing their concerns and aspirations, he said.
Women legislators in Parliament, State Assemblies, panchayats and municipalities could play a decisive role in ensuring that laws reflected ground-level realities. Institutions such as the NCW also had an important role in identifying emerging challenges and facilitating solutions. India could not achieve the goal of becoming a developed nation without the economic and social empowerment of women, who constitute nearly half the population, Mr.
Birla said. Women must have opportunities for employment, economic independence, and social empowerment, he said.
