The central government had put this in their 100-day agenda. We are waiting for this to become a reality,' Bharatiya Janata Party MP Darshana Vikram Jardosh said.

Not surprisingly, Communist Party of India-Marxist MP sought to draw political mileage from the measure.

'This is a process that is already on in some states like Kerela where enhanced reservation for women in village councils already exits. So, this is a welcome step without much to the credit of central government. However, the issue is why is the central government shying away from giving reservations in parliament and assemblies where it has a direct say,' Karat maintained.

President Pratibha Patil, during her address to a joint session of parliament June 4, had declared the government's intent to provide 50 percent reservation for women in panchayats as women suffer multiple deprivations of class, caste and gender. Enhancing reservation in panchayats would lead to more women entering the public sphere, the president had added.

'Enhancement of reservation for women in panchyats will facilitate more women entering the public sphere and thereby lead to further empowerment of women. It will also make panchayats more inclusive institutions, thereby improving governance and public service delivery,' Soni pointed out.

'Having more elected women representatives would benefit the entire population of the states and union territories where panchayati raj is in existence,' Soni said.

All states and union territories to which Part IX of the constitution applies would be covered. The measure would not apply to Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram, the tribal areas of Assam, Tripura and hill areas of Manipur in the northeast.

According to NCW's Vyas, 'women face discrimination from the home to parliament. They have to be made equal partners in decision-making'.

She also admitted that there were women elected to the panchayats who were often proxies for their male relatives.

'It is true that in the beginning there are some women panchayat leaders who are a front for their husbands. They are about 10 percent, but with this new move, even this number will come down,' Vyas maintained.