 bill no 117 of  2016 the constitution (amendment) bill, 2016 byshri pravesh verma, mp a billfurther to amend the constitution of indiabe  it enacted by parliament in the sixty-seventh year of the republic of india as follows:—1 (1) this act may be called the constitution (amendment) act, 2016short title and commencement5(2) it shall come into force on such date as the central government may, by notification in the official gazette, appoint2 in article 243d of the constitution,—amendment of article 243d(i) in clause (3), for the words "not less than one-third", the words "not less than one-half" shall be substituted; and(ii) in clause (4), in the second proviso, for the words "not less than one-third", the words "not less than one-half" shall be substituted statement  of  objects  and  reasonsat present one third of the total number of seats are reserved for women in every panchayat, which is not adequate the bill, therefore, seeks to amend the constitution with a view to increase the number of seats reserved for women from existing 'one-third' to 'onehalf' to ensure increased participation of women in panchayatsit has been observed that wherever a woman is the chairperson of a panchayat, development works are taking place at a good pace but this provision is also inadequate to empower women the bill, therefore, also proposes that not less than one-half of the total number of offices of chairpersons in the panchayats at each level shall be reserved for womenhence this billnew delhi;pravesh vermaapril 13, 2016 annexure extracts from the constitution of india         243d (1)         reservation of seats(2) not less than one-third of the total number of seats reserved under clause (1) shall be reserved for women belonging to the scheduled castes or, as the case may be, the scheduled tribes(3) not less than one-third (including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in every panchayat shall be reserved for women and such seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a panchayat(4) the offices of the chairpersons in the panchayats at the village or any other level shall be reserved for the scheduled castes, the scheduled tribes and women in such manner as the legislature of a state may, by law, provide:provided that the number of offices of chairpersons reserved for the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes in the panchayats at each level in any state shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of such offices in the panchayats at each level as the population of the scheduled castes in the state or of the scheduled tribes in the state bears to the total population of the state:provided also that not less than one-third of the total number of offices of chairpersons in the panchayats at each level shall be reserved for women:          ———— a billfurther to amend the constitution of india————(shri pravesh verma, mp)gmgipmrnd—210ls(s3)—02-05-2016