Gangtok, Sept. 7: Sikkim today passed a legislation reserving 40 per cent seats for women in panchayat bodies.
The state is the first in the county to reserve 40 per cent seats for women, chief minister Pawan Chamling claimed. The reservation will also apply to zilla panchayats, he added. Describing the legislation as “historic”, Chamling hoped that other states will follow suit.
The Sikkim Panchayat (Amendment) Bill was unanimously passed on the final day of the autumn session of the Assembly. Elections to the two-tier panchayat bodies in Sikkim are due in October this year.
The bill will have provisions for reserving seats for Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Most Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes categories.
The state is the first in the county to reserve 40 per cent seats for women, chief minister Pawan Chamling claimed. The reservation will also apply to zilla panchayats, he added. Describing the legislation as “historic”, Chamling hoped that other states will follow suit.
The Sikkim Panchayat (Amendment) Bill was unanimously passed on the final day of the autumn session of the Assembly. Elections to the two-tier panchayat bodies in Sikkim are due in October this year.
The bill will have provisions for reserving seats for Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Most Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes categories.
