Landmarks (highlights) of the Eighth Plan

The Eighth plan period also saw a revolutionary amendment to the Constitution of India, which provided for the reservation of one-third of the seats in Panchayat raj institutions and urban local self-governing bodies such as municipalities and corporations to women. The 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments, which made this reservation possible, have gone down in the in the history of women's empowerment in India as a 'democratic revolution'. Today, there are more than 40.000 women in local governing bodies across the country, a phenomenon (an occurrence), which would never have been possible, if a provision for reservation of 1/3 seats for women had not been made.