Chandigarh, Dec 15 (IANS): The Punjab Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a resolution urging the Central government to enact the Women's Reservation Bill to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislative assemblies.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh moved a resolution during the Winter Session of the Assembly here.

The Chief Minister pointed to the previous Congress government's decision to reserve 50 per cent seats for women in urban local bodies and Panchayat Raj institutions to urge the Central government to hasten the enactment of this bill.

This would fulfil a legitimate and long-pending demand of women to ensure their empowerment, Amarinder said.

The Bill would ensure greater equity and balanced representation for both men and women in the national electoral process and decision making, the Chief Minister added.

Amarinder said that the Congress government had ensured passage of the earlier Bill in the Rajya Sabha but it had lapsed in the Lok Sabha due to the indifferent attitude of the opposition.

Once passed, the Bill would ensure reservation of 181 seats out of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats, besides earmarking 1,370 assembly seats out of the total 4,109 assembly seats across the nation.