Question map
Consider the following statements regarding 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' : 1. Provisions will come into effect from the 18th Lok Sabha. 2. This will be in force for 15 years after becoming an Act. 3. There are provisions for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes Women within the quota reserved for the Scheduled Castes. Which of the statements given above are correct ?
Explanation
The correct answer is option C because statements 2 and 3 are correct, while statement 1 is incorrect.
**Statement 1 is incorrect**: The reservation will become effective after the publication of the census conducted following the Act's commencement[1], not from the 18th Lok Sabha. While the Act received Presidential assent in September 2023, its implementation is linked to a future census and subsequent delimitation exercise.
**Statement 2 is correct**: The reservation is set to last for 15 years, with provisions for extension by parliamentary action.[2] This establishes a clear timeframe for the reservation policy.
**Statement 3 is correct**: As nearly as may be, one-third of the total number of seats reserved under clause (3) of article 332 shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes.[3] This means there is a sub-quota for SC/ST women within the broader SC/ST reservation.
Therefore, only statements 2 and 3 are correct, making option C the right answer.
Sources- [1] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2025/feb/doc2025213501801.pdf
- [3] https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2023/249053.pdf
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a 'Fine Print' question on a headline Act. While newspapers celebrated the passing of the Bill, UPSC tested the specific legal clauses: the 'Commencement Condition' (Census + Delimitation) and the 'Sunset Clause' (15 years). You cannot answer this with general awareness; you needed the specific provisions of the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam: do its provisions take effect from the 18th Lok Sabha?
- Statement 2: Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam: is it specified to remain in force for 15 years after it becomes an Act?
- Statement 3: Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam: does it provide reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes women within the quota reserved for the Scheduled Castes?
States explicitly that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's Reservation Act, 2023) provides 33% reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
A student could check the Act's commencement or transitional clauses and compare them with the dates of the 18th Lok Sabha to see if implementation was tied to that Lok Sabha.
Notes that similar reservation for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas has been provided through the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, contrasting it with existing reservations at local bodies.
Use this pattern (difference between local-body reservations already in force and a new national Act) to look for whether the Act specified timing (e.g., immediate effect, at next general election, or from a particular Lok Sabha).
Gives an example where a constitutional amendment explicitly states an effective date (104th Amendment ceased effect on 25 Jan 2020), showing laws/ amendments often specify when they take effect.
A student could apply that rule: inspect the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam text for any specified effective date or clause tying commencement to a Lok Sabha number/date.
Repeats that the 104th Amendment had a clear cessation date, reinforcing that parliamentary legislation commonly contains explicit commencement/cessation dates.
Use this precedent to justify checking the Act for an explicit commencement provision or any link to the timing of a particular Lok Sabha's term.
- Explicitly states the reservation 'endures for a 15-year period' following the Actโs commencement.
- Clarifies when the reservation becomes effective (after the census following the Actโs commencement) and notes possible extension by Parliament.
- Directly says the reservation 'is set to last for 15 years', matching the 15-year specification in the statement.
- Also notes provisions for extension by parliamentary action, reinforcing the limited initial duration.
Gives a clear example (Official Languages provisions) where the Constitution and subsequent statute tied the continued use of English/Devanagari to a 15โyear transitional period and later parliamentary law.
A student could compare the drafting language and transitional clauses of that 15โyear example with the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam text to see whether a similar timeโlimited clause appears.
Shows that other Acts sometimes include explicit temporal limits (example: provision barring contempt proceedings after expiry of one year), illustrating the practice of specifying duration/limits in statute text.
Use this as a pattern to look for any explicit 'shall remain in force for X years' or 'expires after X years' clause in the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
Explains a general rule that laws made under certain circumstances (e.g., during President's Rule) continue beyond the triggering condition, illustrating that statute duration can be expressly tied or not tied to external events.
Helps a student decide whether to expect express linkage of the Act's operation to an external period (like '15 years') or independent permanence when reading the Act's clauses.
Confirms the existence and subject matter of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's Reservation Act, 2023) but contains no duration โ illustrating absence of direct support and the need to inspect the Act for temporal clauses.
A student can use this to justify checking the enacted text (or official gazette) for any limitedโduration clause rather than relying on secondary summaries.
- Explicitly states that one-third of the seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes in Delhi's Legislative Assembly shall be reserved for women.
- Directly answers whether SC seats include a sub-reservation for SC women under the amendment.
- Specifies that, as nearly as may be, one-third of the seats reserved under article 332 shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes.
- Shows the constitutional insertion makes a one-third sub-reservation for SC/ST women within reserved seats.
- Summarizes the amendment saying 33 percent of seats within the existing SC/ST quotas will be set aside for SC and ST women.
- Provides a clear plain-language confirmation that SC/ST quotas include sub-reservation for women.
States a clear rule for panchayats: one-third reservation for women applies not merely in general category but also within seats reserved for SCs, STs and OBCs.
A student could treat this as a precedentary pattern of how women-reservation laws have been applied and check whether the Nari Shakti Act uses the same drafting approach/phrasing for Lok Sabha/Assemblies.
Explains Article 243D: out of seats reserved for SCs/STs in panchayats, not less than one-third must be reserved for women of those groups.
Use this constitutional provision as an example of an explicit rule that could be analogously applied at parliamentary level if the Act or enabling provisions mirror such constitutional language.
Notes municipalities' one-third women reservation 'including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the SCs and the STs' โ the phrasing 'including' shows an explicit inclusion model.
Compare the exact wording of the Nari Shakti Act to see if it likewise uses inclusive phrasing; similar wording would support inference that SC-women get seats within SC quotas.
States that the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam grants 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies (i.e., the Act creates general women reservation at parliamentary level).
Combine this fact with the local-government pattern (snippets 1/4/6) to form a hypothesis: if the Act follows local-government drafting practice, it may preserve women-reservation inside existing SC/ST reserved seats; check the Act's scheduling/definitions.
Describes that seats are reserved for SCs/STs in Parliament and those seats are elected by all voters; shows the pre-existing mechanism for SC/ST reservation at parliamentary level.
A student can use this to reason that adding a 33% women quota for Lok Sabha requires clarification on interaction with existing SC/ST reserved seats โ so inspecting whether the Act specifies internal allocation (e.g., one-third of SC-reserved seats) would resolve the question.
- [THE VERDICT]: Trap. Statement 1 is the killer. The Act passed in 2023, but the 'Delimitation + Census' condition meant it could not apply to the 2024 (18th) Lok Sabha elections.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Constitutional Amendment Acts (specifically the 106th CAA) and Article 334 (Reservation time limits).
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the exclusions: The Act does NOT apply to Rajya Sabha or State Legislative Councils. Memorize the Articles: 330A (Lok Sabha), 332A (State Assemblies), 334A (Sunset/Commencement). Memorize the OBC factor: Unlike Local Bodies (73rd/74th Amd), this Act does NOT provide a sub-quota for OBC women.
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When a major law passes, run the 'Polity 5' check: 1. Effective Date (Immediate or Conditional?), 2. Duration (Permanent or Sunset?), 3. Scope (LS/RS/State?), 4. Sub-quotas (SC/ST/OBC?), 5. Rotation (Are seats fixed or rotated?).
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 provides for one-third (33%) reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
High-yield: this is a major electoral reform affecting representation, party candidate selection and gender politics. It connects to constitutional and legislative processes, electoral law, and public policy questions; useful for essays and polity questions on representation and reform.
- Democratic Politics-II. Political Science-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: Gender, Religion and Caste > Women's political representation > p. 35
- Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: ELECTION AND REPRESENTATION > Chapter 3: Election and Representation > p. 65
Reservation for women existed earlier in rural and urban local bodies and the 2023 Act extends similar reservation to Parliament and Vidhan Sabhas.
Important for comparing governance tiers: highlights how policies are piloted or implemented differently at local versus state/national levels. Useful for questions on decentralisation, Panchayati Raj, and the political impact of reservation policies.
- Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: ELECTION AND REPRESENTATION > Chapter 3: Election and Representation > p. 65
Women's organisations and activists campaigned for decades for reservation of one-third seats in legislatures, providing the socio-political basis for the 2023 law.
Helps answer questions on policy origins, role of social movements, and stakeholder influence in lawmaking; useful for prelims and mains where background and drivers of reform are asked.
- Democratic Politics-II. Political Science-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: Gender, Religion and Caste > Women's political representation > p. 35
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam implements one-third (33%) reservation of seats for women in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
High-yield for polity and governance topics: connects gender policy, representation, and electoral law; useful for questions on affirmative action, legislative reforms, and comparative reservation frameworks. Mastering this helps answer questions on the scope and modalities of reservation laws and their political implications.
- Democratic Politics-II. Political Science-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: Gender, Religion and Caste > Women's political representation > p. 35
- Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: ELECTION AND REPRESENTATION > Chapter 3: Election and Representation > p. 65
- Democratic Politics-I. Political Science-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: ELECTORAL POLITICS > Vo t ers' list > p. 40
Certain constitutional arrangements or statutes are given a fixed duration (for example, a 15-year transitional period for language provisions) and require further legislation to continue beyond that period.
Important for constitutional law topics: explains how time-limited provisions operate, the role of Parliament in extending or modifying temporary measures, and connections to Articles that create transitional arrangements. Helps answer questions on continuity, amendment, and temporary constitutional provisions.
- Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 33: LANGUAGES > 466 INTRODUCTION TO THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA [CHAP. 33 > p. 466
Laws made by Parliament during President's Rule with respect to a State continue to be operative even after the period of President's Rule ends.
Crucial for centre-state relations and legislative competence: clarifies the effect and duration of central legislation in state matters during exceptional periods, and prepares aspirants for questions on federalism, legislative lists, and the aftermath of President's Rule.
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 15: Centre-State Relations > II Parliamentary Legislation in the State Field > p. 147
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 15: Centre State Relations > II Parliamentary Legislation in the State Field > p. 147
Oneโthird reservation for women is applied not only to general seats but also within the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in local bodies.
Highโyield for UPSC because it clarifies how intersecting reservation categories operate (gender + caste) and helps answer questions about allocation rules and representation design. Connects to constitutional provisions on local government reservations and to debates on intersectional representation; enables questions comparing reservation modalities across levels of government.
- Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: LOCAL GOVERNMENTS > Reservations > p. 184
- Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 18: PANCHAYATS > Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. > p. 319
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 39: Panchayati Raj > Salient Features > p. 389
The reservation for women does NOT apply to the Rajya Sabha or State Legislative Councils. This is a major difference from the Local Bodies (Panchayats/Municipalities) where reservation applies to Chairpersons, but here it is strictly for direct elections to the Lower House.
Logistical Impossibility: Statement 1 claims it applies to the 18th Lok Sabha (2024). The Act passed in late 2023. Delimitation (redrawing boundaries) takes years. It is administratively impossible to redraw 543 constituencies in 3 months. Thus, Statement 1 must be False. Eliminate options A, B, and D. Answer is C.
Link this to the 'Delimitation Freeze' (GS2). The implementation of this Act is legally hostage to the next Census and subsequent Delimitation Commission. This connects to the North-South divide debates regarding population-based seat allocation.