I have a lot of time to push more reforms, says confident Modi

The law reserving 33% seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures will provide new direction and energy to women-led development in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, adding that he still has a lot of time to push for more reforms, a statement exuding confidence that he would be voted back to power in the 2024 general elections

- Utkarsh Anand

Speaking at the International Lawyers' Conference organised by the Bar Council of India in the national capital, Modi underlined the need to simplify laws for the public, and said the central government is working on a proposal to have two drafts of every legislation: one that may have legal terminologies and the other in a much simpler form for everyone to understand.

"Citizens should feel that the law belongs to them. We are trying to find a solution to that. The language in which laws are written plays a huge role in the accessibility of justice," Modi said. "The 75-year-old system has been structured in a particular way and it can take some time to change it. I still have a lot of work and also a lot of time to do it." The Prime Minister cited the recently enacted Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023 to say that his government has been making efforts to draft new laws in simple language lawyers' conference was taking place at a time when the nation has seen several historic decisions, referring to the passage of Women's Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) by Parliament, he underlined.

"Nari Shakti Vandan Act will give new direction and energy to women-led development in India," Modi said two days after the 106th amendment to the Constitution to reserve a third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and states legislatures for women was approved.