Punjab Government is considering to convene a special session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha to ratify the Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill that proposes to extend reservation for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years.
“The Constitution Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on December 10 and 12 in 2018, respectively. The provisions under the Bill have been effective from January 25, 2020. As per Article-168 of the Constitution, the Bill must be ratified by at least 50 percent of the state assemblies before its implementation,” the state government official told The Pioneer.
The official said that the decision to convene the session would be taken on the Cabinet meeting, scheduled for January 9. The session is required to be convened before January 25 — before the expiry of the period to provide reservation.
The Indian Constitution provides for reservation of seats for the SCs and STs and representation of the Anglo-Indian community by nomination, in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies of certain states.
This has been provided for a period of 70 years since the enactment of the Constitution and will expire on January 25, 2020. The Bill seeks to extend the reservation for SCs and STs by another 10 years till January 25, 2030.
“During the special session, the members of the House will hold discussion on a State Government’s proposal to ratify the Bill,” said the official, adding that there was not much official business to be carried out in the session.