Quota for women in Arunachal soon: Mithi

ITANAGAR, March 9 ? Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Mukut Mithi today said that one-third of the total number of seats in gram panchayats, anchal samitis and zilla parishads in the State would be reserved for women for their empowerment at the grass root level. The reservation, in accordance with Panchayat Raj Act 1997, was notified on April 30 after receiving the assent of President K R Narayan, he said inaugurating a 10-day photo exhibition on women and child welfare organised by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity here. He regretted that women had not been given their place in society and had to suffer the consequences of practices like child marriage, female infanticide, bride and bridegroom price, preference for male child and taboo against women education. Arunachal Pradesh Social Welfare and Women and Child Development Minister Tadak Dolum announced that a bill for constitution of Arunachal Pradesh State Woman Commission would be presented in the ensuing budget session of the assembly. The reservation for women would be provided during the panchayat elections in the State, which would be conducted soon by the newly constituted state election commission soon, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Talo Mugli said.