Answer:

Gender-responsive budgeting refers to the integration of a gender perspective into the budgeting process to address inequalities and promote gender equality in resource allocation and public policy. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) defines gender budgeting as a tool for achieving gender mainstreaming, ensuring that the benefits of development reach women equally as to men.

Potential of Gender Responsive Budgeting in India:

• Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment: Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) can promote women’s economic empowerment by allocating funds to programs that enhance women’s skills and employment opportunities.
  For example: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) mandates one-third of beneficiaries to be women, providing them with financial independence and social security.
• Enhancing Access to Education and Healthcare: GRB can address gender disparities in education and healthcare by ensuring adequate funding for women’s health services and girls’ education.
  For example: The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme aims to improve the welfare services for girls and reduce the gender gap in education, significantly impacting female literacy rates.
• Reducing Gender-based Violence: Gender-responsive budgeting can allocate resources to combat gender-based violence through support services and legal aid.
  For example: The Nirbhaya Fund in India aimed at improving women’s safety, including crisis centres, self-defence training, and public awareness campaigns, thereby reducing gender-based violence.
• Supporting Women in Agriculture: GRB can provide targeted support to women in agriculture, who often face discrimination in access to resources.
  For example: Programs like the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) focus on empowering women farmers by providing training, credit facilities, and market access, helping to bridge the gender gap in agricultural productivity and income.

Current Implementation:

Institutional Framework: 

• Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD): MWCD advocates for and monitors GRB, providing guidelines and support to other ministries to integrate gender perspectives into their budgets.
  For instance: The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) states that 27 states/UTs have adopted Gender Budgeting .
• Gender Budget Cells (GBCs): GBCs coordinate and monitor GRB implementation within ministries, preparing gender budget statements and ensuring gender considerations in policy planning.
• Gender Budget Statements (GBSs): GBSs, part of the Union Budget, detail allocations for schemes specifically targeting or benefiting women, promoting transparency in gender-responsive budgeting.

Allocations and Expenditures:

1. Historical Average: Over the past 15 years, the Gender Budget has averaged 4.9% of the total expenditure according to budget estimates. Budget allocations for gender-specific programs have gradually increased, but the overall proportion remains low compared to the total budget, indicating room for improvement.
   For instance: India’s Gender Budget for 2023-24 was allocated ₹2.23 lakh crore, a 2.12% increase from the revised ₹2.18 lakh crore for 2022-23.
2. Allocations to Key Schemes:: Significant schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana address critical gender issues, but challenges remain in fund utilisation and impact.
   For instance:  Allocation for Safe City Project increased eightfold, from ₹165 crore in RE 2022-23 to ₹1,300 crore in BE 2023-24, under the Nirbhaya Fund for the safety of women and children.

Shortcomings of Gender Responsive Budgeting in India:

• Gender Budgeting and Fiscal Marksmanship: India’s Gender Budget constitutes only 4-6% of total expenditure and less than 1% of GDP. Additionally, it lacks fiscal marksmanship, indicating a shortfall in the accuracy of budgetary forecasting.
• Sectoral Focus: GRB in India primarily focuses on health, education, and welfare sectors.
  For instance: Schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao have improved girl child welfare, but other sectors like agriculture and infrastructure still lack a comprehensive gender perspective.
• Concentrated in Key Ministries: Around 90% of gender budgeting is focused on five ministries.
  For instance: The largest scheme in gender budgeting for livelihoods is MGNREGA.
• Neglected Areas: Sectors such as transportation, water collection, and water security remain overlooked.
• Post-Covid-19 Approach: The last Budget failed to address critical issues highlighted by the pandemic in 2021-22 and 2022-23, despite the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on women.

Measures to Enhance Effectiveness Across All Levels of Governance:

• Strengthen Training and Capacity Building: Provide comprehensive training programs for government officials at all levels to ensure a thorough understanding of gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) principles and implementation strategies.
  For instance: Regular workshops and certification courses can be conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD).
• Enhance Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms: Establish robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the impact of GRB initiatives and ensure accountability.
  For instance: Periodic audits and impact assessments by independent bodies can help track the progress.
• Ensure Inclusive Participation: Promote inclusive participation by involving women and marginalised groups in the budgeting process to reflect their needs and priorities.
• Promote Inter-ministerial Coordination: Foster better coordination among various ministries and departments to create a cohesive approach towards gender-responsive budgeting.
• Integrate Gender Indicators in Budgeting Processes: Incorporate specific gender indicators and targets into the budgeting process to ensure that gender considerations are systematically integrated.

Empowering women through gender-responsive budgeting is not just a policy choice but a pathway to a more equitable and prosperous society. By prioritising women’s needs in fiscal policies, we pave the way for gender equality, ensuring that development benefits all members of society equally.

DOWNLOAD PDF