Gender Response Budgeting has infused greater accountability of planning departments towards women empowerment programmes." Examine the statement.

Understanding Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB)

GRB is based on the premise that budgets are not gender-neutral. They often reflect existing gender biases and can perpetuate inequalities. The core objective of GRB is to reorient budgetary allocations and policies to promote gender equality. This involves three key steps:

• Gender Analysis: Assessing the impact of policies and programs on women and men.
• Gender Budgeting: Allocating resources to address gender gaps and promote women’s empowerment.
• Gender Monitoring: Tracking the effectiveness of gender-responsive policies and programs.

Mechanisms for Enhanced Accountability

GRB has introduced several mechanisms that theoretically enhance accountability of planning departments:

• Gender Budget Statements (GBS): Introduced as part of the annual budget, GBS categorize expenditure under two heads: Part A (schemes directly benefiting women) and Part B (schemes with a gender component). This compels departments to identify and report on gender-related spending.
• Gender Audit: While not yet fully institutionalized, the concept of gender audits aims to assess the extent to which programs are achieving their gender objectives.
• Increased Awareness: GRB has raised awareness among policymakers and officials about the importance of gender equality and the need to consider gender perspectives in planning and budgeting.
• Demand for Transparency: GRB has fostered greater demand for transparency in budgetary allocations and spending, particularly from civil society organizations and women’s groups.

Evidence of Increased Accountability

There is some evidence to suggest that GRB has led to increased accountability:

• Increased Allocation to Women-Specific Schemes: Data from the Ministry of Women and Child Development shows a gradual increase in budgetary allocations to schemes directly benefiting women, such as the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme (launched in 2014) and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY, launched in 2017).
• Improved Targeting of Programs: GRB has encouraged departments to improve the targeting of programs to ensure that they reach the intended beneficiaries, particularly women and girls.
• Greater Focus on Gender Outcomes: Departments are increasingly required to report on gender-specific outcomes, such as increased female literacy rates and improved maternal health indicators.

Limitations and Challenges

Despite these positive developments, GRB faces several limitations:

• Superficial Implementation: Often, GRB is implemented in a superficial manner, with departments simply tagging existing schemes as “gender-responsive” without making substantial changes to their design or implementation.
• Lack of Capacity: Many planning departments lack the capacity to conduct thorough gender analysis and integrate gender perspectives into their planning and budgeting processes.
• Data Gaps: There are significant data gaps on gender disparities, making it difficult to assess the impact of programs and policies on women and men.
• Weak Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are often weak, making it difficult to track the effectiveness of gender-responsive policies and programs.
• Patriarchal Attitudes: Deep-rooted patriarchal attitudes within government and society can hinder the effective implementation of GRB.

Case of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013

The NFSA 2013 provides a good example. While seemingly gender-neutral, GRB analysis revealed that women were often excluded from accessing benefits due to issues like lack of documentation in their name. This led to efforts to ensure that women were included as heads of households or co-beneficiaries, increasing accountability for reaching women beneficiaries.

Aspect	Pre-GRB	Post-GRB
Gender Awareness	Limited	Increased
Budgetary Allocation (Women Specific)	Often overlooked	Gradual Increase
Program Targeting	Generic	More Gender-Specific
Monitoring & Evaluation	Limited Gender Focus	Increasing Gender Indicators