Madhya Pradesh: 35% reservation for women in government jobs

MP is scheduled to go for the assembly polls later this year...

Madhya Pradesh has decided to grant 35% reservation for women in government jobs, excluding the forest department. The government has a recently introduced an amendment to the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Special Provision for Appointment of Women) Rules, 1997 notifying the same.

“Notwithstanding anything contained in any service rules, there shall be reserved 35 percent of all posts in the service under the state (except Forest Department) in favour of women at the stage of direct recruitment and the said reservation shall be horizontal and compartment-wise," the notification reads.

Recently Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan introduced several pro-women measures, including reserving 35% of government job vacancies for women and allocating 50% of teaching positions to them.

He also fast tracked the financial aid disbursements under women welfare programme “Ladli Bahna Yojana". The scheme offers ??1,250 monthly support to beneficiaries, and this move precedes the potential announcement of assembly polls.

While doing disbursing the money, he said, “I transfer the amount on the 10th (of every month), but I am transferring it in the accounts tomorrow (Wednesday) itself… because elections will be announced and we cannot do this during the time of polls (due to imposition of model code of conduct)."

The 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhniyam', which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha as well as the state legislative assemblies, was unanimously passed by the Rajya Sabha, becoming the first bill to be passed in the new Parliament building.

The Bill was passed on September 20, following division with 454 members voting in favour of the legislation and two against it on the motion seeking its passage.

The amendments moved by the Opposition members were negative and separate clauses of the draft legislation were also voted on.