Indian parliament: MPs approve bill to reserve third of seats for women

Lawmakers in India's lower house of parliament yesterday approved a bill to reserve 33 percent of seats in the lower house and state assemblies for women. The bill would now have to be approved by the upper house and at least half of India's state assemblies before being promulgated as law. While all parties have welcomed the bill and are expected to vote in favour, its implementation depends on a complex drill of population census and boundaries of political constituencies redrawn.