Women's Reservation Bill on the anvil

Women power is set to be unleashed with government promising early passage of the Women's Reservation Bill and several other measures as part of its ambitious 25-point agenda for the first 100 days in office unveiled on Thursday.

Constitutional amendment to provide 50 per cent quota for women in panchayats and urban local bodies, a national mission on empowerment of women and concerted efforts to increase representation of women in Central government job, are part of the agenda.

Addressing the joint session of both Houses of Parliament, the President said the Women's Reservation Bill will provide for one-third reservation to women in State legislatures and in Parliament, indicating thereby there was no dilution of quota provision.

She said since women suffer multiple deprivations of class, caste and gender, enhancing reservation in panchayats and urban local bodies would lead to more women entering the public sphere.

The National Mission on Empowerment of Women would be for implementation of women-centric programmes in a mission mode to achieve better coordination, the President, the first woman to adorn the high office, said.

She was flanked by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar who became the first woman to occupy the Lok Sabha Speaker's post and Vice President Hamid Ansari who is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Patil said the new government will take "concrete" steps to create equal opportunities for women by providing reservation to elected bodies at all levels, reservation in jobs and a National Mission on Female Literacy.

"My government will recast the National Literacy Mission as a National Mission for Female Literacy to make every woman literate in the next five years. Increased female literacy is expected to become a force multiplier for all our social development programmes," she said.

She noted that while male literacy went up to over 75 per cent in the last census and is expected to be higher now, female literacy remained only 54 per cent.

The President also said the government will take concerted effort to increase representation of women in Central government jobs.

The government will take steps to "considerably" enhance social security coverage by including all widows above the age of 40 in the old age pension scheme, the President said.

"My government considerably enhanced provisions for social security through old age pension for all people below the poverty line and above 65 years of age, all handicapped people and all widows above the age of 40," the President said.