In a country where women constitute nearly half the electorate yet remain under-represented in its legislatures, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is convening a landmark students’ deliberation forum on Monday, April 13, 2026 at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Convention Centre, IGNOU.
Hon’ble Member of Parliament Ms. Bansuri Swaraj will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest and interact with the students. The students’ discussion forum on the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023’ will bring together students from different IGNOU Regional Centres and other academic institutions across Delhi NCR to express their views and deliberate upon issues relating to gender gaps in the representation of women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. IGNOU’s initiative situates student voices at the heart of this constitutional moment. Through structured simulated deliberations, participants will examine the layered barriers relating to social, cultural, structural, and institutional, that has historically constrained women’s access to India’s democratic architecture, and frame concrete pathways for the law’s early operationalisation.
The forum is structured around five interconnected themes which are expected to drive the discussion to a productive outcome. These include ‘Social and cultural barriers’ that sustain the under-representation of women in policy-making and legislatures; ‘Structural and institutional barriers’ that impede women’s entry into legislatures and executive institutions; ‘Women in politics and bureaucracy’ representing ground-level realities, achievements and persistent gaps; ‘Challenges and implications’ of continued under-representation in democratic and administrative processes; and ‘Women as path-breakers for Viksit Bharat’ which envisions women’s leadership as integral to India’s development trajectory by 2047.
The deliberations on these five concerning agendas will culminate in resolutions and policy recommendations that address identified barriers and lend institutional student support to the immediate implementation of the ‘Adhiniyam’. The conclave will also document best practices and evidence-based policy suggestions for strengthening women’s representation in legislative and administrative bodies, a resource intended for ongoing policy engagement.
As the university prepares to host the event, it also reaffirms its commitment to the nation’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ and vehemently supports the immediate implementation of reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. Through its programmes, the university recognises its students as future administrators, lawmakers and civil society leaders, who must be prepared not merely to understand the law, but to advocate meaningfully for its faithful and timely implementation.
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