Mon Sep 15 16:49:12 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and news article based on the provided text:
**Summary:**
A national conference on women’s empowerment concluded in Tirupati, India, with concerns raised about the country’s low ranking in women’s political participation globally. Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer highlighted that India ranks 148th out of 193 countries in parliamentary representation of women. He stressed the importance of the recently passed Women’s Reservation Bill in improving women’s participation in policy-making. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed concern over the lack of legislative panels dedicated to women’s empowerment in several State Assemblies and pledged to advocate for their establishment.
**News Article:**
**India Lagging in Women’s Political Representation, Conference Hears**
**TIRUPATI, September 15, 2025** – India’s progress on women’s political empowerment came under scrutiny at the closing ceremony of a two-day national conference on parliamentary and legislative committees on women’s empowerment held in Tirupati today. Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer cited concerning statistics, revealing that India ranks a lowly 148th out of 193 countries in terms of women’s participation in Parliament.
Speaking in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Justice Nazeer emphasized the need for greater female representation in Indian politics. While acknowledging the recent passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill, which mandates 33% reservation for women in State Assemblies and the Lok Sabha, he pointed out that even at the time of the Bill’s passage, only 14% of Lok Sabha legislators were women, far below the global average.
“This clearly shows that India is lagging behind in the empowerment of women politically,” Justice Nazeer stated, urging greater female participation.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla echoed these concerns, particularly highlighting the absence of dedicated legislative panels on women’s empowerment in several State Assemblies. He announced plans to advocate for the establishment of such committees, stressing their importance in addressing issues and ensuring gender accountability in budgetary allocations.
“I will soon write to the presiding officers of the State Assemblies to have legislative committees on the empowerment of women, and [on] child development,” Birla told reporters.
The conference aimed to address critical issues related to women’s empowerment and promote effective strategies for advancing gender equality in India. The discussions highlighted the need for sustained efforts to translate policy changes into tangible improvements in women’s political participation and overall empowerment.
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