Meeting with PM fruitful: Kerala CM

Vartha Bharati | 25-09-2018 | 21:11:00 IST

New Delhi, Sep 25 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday night expressed happiness after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had "very fruitful" discussions on how to rebuild the flood-battered state.

Vijayan called on Modi seeking the full support of the Centre in rebuilding the state in the aftermath of the worst ever floods in a century that ravaged the state.

"Eighty per cent of Kerala's population has been directly or indirectly affected by the tragedy. The state alone cannot handle the crisis. Hence the complete support of the Centre is required and this has been brought to the attention of the Prime Minister," he said.

"The meeting was very fruitful and we have a lot of expectations," he told the media.

Among the demands he has raised with Modi is a 10 per cent increase in all central schemes, a sum of Rs 4,796 crore from the National Disaster Fund and Rs 5,000 crore of special grant.

The May-August disaster claimed 483 lives and at the height of the deluge there were 14.50 lakh people in over 3,000 relief camps.

"We have sought the help of the Centre to get assistance from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The PM has expressed all support in the demands that we raised."

He said there were issues in accepting help from foreign countries. "But there is no bar in accepting help from the diaspora."

Vijayan returned from the US on Sunday after being treated for an undisclosed ailment.

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Time has come to implement Women's Reservation Act: PM Modi's letter to LS, RS floor leaders

12-04-2026 ¦ 12-04-2026 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (PTI)

New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the time has come for the implementation of the Women's Reservation Act in its true spirit and the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are conducted with the quota for women in place.

In a letter to the floor leaders of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, ahead of the three-day special sittings of Parliament, Modi also asked all members to come together in one voice to pass the amendments to the women's reservation law, officially known as Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

"After extensive deliberations, we have reached the conclusion that the time has now come to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in its true spirit across the country.

"It is imperative that the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are conducted with women's reservation in place," the Prime Minister said in his letter dated April 11.

The Budget Session of Parliament has been extended, and a special three-day sitting of the House has been convened on April 16 to 18.

The Women's Reservation Act will ensure an increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816, of which 273 will be reserved for women.

The provision to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was brought by amending the Constitution in 2023.

However, the women's quota would have come into effect only after the completion of the delimitation exercise on the basis of the 2027 Census. This meant the reservation would not have become enforceable before 2034 if the present law remains as is.

To implement it from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, changes were needed in the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam; hence, the government is holding a special session to pass the amendments to the law.