Answer:

Gender Budgeting is a tool for achieving gender mainstreaming so as to ensure that benefits and development reach women as much as men. It is not an accounting exercise but an ongoing process of keeping a gender perspective in policy and program formulation, its implementation and review. Gender Budgeting entails dissection of the Government budgets to establish its differential impact on women and to ensure that gender commitments are translated into budgetary commitments.

The rationale for gender budgeting arises from recognition of the fact that budget impacts men and women differentially. Women, who constitute 48% of India’s population, lag behind men on many social indicators like health, education, economic opportunities etc., and therefore warrant special attention.

Also, gender inequality poses a significant development challenge in India. The Global Gender Gap Index 2014 ranked India at 114 out of 142 countries. The ranking is based on a country’s ability to reduce gender disparities in four areas: economic participation and opportunity, education, political empowerment, and health and survival. Violence against women and girls persists, both in private and in public spaces. As a response to these challenges, India adopted ‘gender-responsive budgeting’ (GRB) in 2005, which is

a method of planning, programming and budgeting that helps advance gender equality

and women’s rights.

Examination of steps taken for GB:

♤ Gender Budgeting cells (GBCs) have been setup in various ministries and departments as focal points for coordinating GRB. Many state governments have also adopted it.

♤ Pre-budgeting consultations are organized every year before the budget.

♤ The quantum allocation for women as proportion of total budget has remained almost constant for the past 10 years.

♤ Budget for MoCWD has improved although most of it is allocated for ICDS scheme, leaving only a little for schemes exclusively meant for women.

♤ New schemes such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana are examples of explicit targets in order to improve socio-economic conditions of women.

The stand-alone goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Sustainable Development Goals will remain elusive if not backed by adequate investments. As such GB is essential to achieve these targets.