Uttar Pradesh Becomes First Indian State to Earmark Special Day for Only Female Lawmakers to Speak

This comes as opposition lawmakers in Uttar Pradesh are set to grill the state government over the law and order situation, inflation and other issues of public concern in the five-day session of the state legislative assembly, also known as the 'Monsoon Session.'

For the first time in its history, India's Uttar Pradesh State Assembly has reserved a special day for female lawmakers to speak and raise issues regarding women.

The decision was made at an all-party and business advisory committee meeting on Sunday.

“Women legislators will be given an opportunity to speak on September 22nd. After the Question Hour, the time will be reserved for discussions by female members. This is something which no other legislative assembly in the country has done,” Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana told reporters on Sunday.

Meanwhile, State Chief Yogi Adityanath has called on female lawmakers to raise the issues regarding Mission Shakti and other programs during the special session, which have been launched by the state government to provide safety, respect and self-reliance to women in Uttar Pradesh.

'Mission Shakti' is a flagship program of the Uttar Pradesh state government, launched by Adityanath in 2020 in a bid to promote women's security, dignity and empowerment.

As of now, there are only 47 female lawmakers in the 403-member Legislative Assembly, of which 22 have been elected for the first time. Female legislators earlier complained to Assembly Speaker Mahana that they don’t get a voice in the House. After that, Mahana assured them that a special day would be provided for them to speak up.

The decision also holds significance as the Opposition is all set to corner the state government on the issue of women's security in the state against the backdrop of a recent incident: the alleged rape and murder of two Dalit sisters in Lakhimpur Kheri district. They were found hanging from a tree last week.

The state police have arrested six men for allegedly raping and murdering the two sisters.