NEW DELHI, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- India's Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday introduced the Women's Reservation Bill in the upper house of the Indian parliament for discussion, local media reported.
The bill seeks to provide one-third reservation to women in the lower house of the parliament and state assemblies, which are the states' lawmaking bodies.
On Wednesday, the lower house of the Indian parliament passed a bill with near unanimity after hours of fierce discussion.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked all lawmakers who voted for the bill in the lower house. He called it a "historic legislation" that will enable greater participation of women in the country's political process.
The bill will now require approval from the lawmakers in the upper house and the Indian president before it finally becomes law.
The Women's Reservation Bill was first proposed in 1996 in India and had been pending for decades. ■