Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed support for the women s reservation bill but raised concerns about delimitation of parliamentary seats, fearing it will reduce southern states representation. The bill, which passed the Lok Sabha, will come into effect after delimitation is completed. Southern states fear that any changes will benefit more populous northern states. Stalin urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure no reduction in representation for southern states. The debate on delimitation has reignited political tensions regarding representation in India s federal structure. | Latest News India
Now that the time for reconsidering the freeze on delimitation exercise is coming closer, southern states have already started crying foul against the possibility, arguing that allotting seats based on population would be a great injustice to states that have excelled in population control.
In terms of representation, India has made significant strides towards gender parity in its political, diplomatic, and military institutions but performs worse than other countries with similar developmental profiles. While India has several gender-sensitive foreign aid programmes, they need to be diversified.