Model Answer
0 min readIntroduction
Women’s empowerment is central to achieving inclusive and sustainable development. However, despite various policies and programs, gender disparities persist in India. Gender budgeting, a public finance tool, is increasingly recognized as crucial for addressing these inequalities. It is not simply allocating resources for women-specific programs, but rather analyzing budgets to understand their differential effects on women and men. Introduced in India in 2005-06, gender budgeting aims to ensure that government policies and programs are gender-sensitive and contribute to achieving gender equality. Its effective implementation is vital for translating policy intentions into tangible outcomes for women.
Understanding Gender Budgeting
Gender budgeting is a methodology for analyzing budgetary policies and programs from a gender perspective. It assesses whether they are equitable and responsive to the needs of both women and men. It involves identifying the gender-specific impacts of public policies and allocating resources accordingly. This goes beyond simply earmarking funds for women-specific schemes; it requires a systematic examination of all budgetary allocations.
Requirements for Effective Gender Budgeting
Institutional Mechanisms
- Gender Budget Cells (GBCs): Dedicated GBCs at both central and state levels are essential for coordinating gender budgeting efforts.
- Training and Capacity Building: Training government officials on gender analysis and budgeting is crucial.
- Gender Audit: Regular gender audits of government programs to assess their impact on women.
Data Availability and Analysis
- Sex-disaggregated Data: Availability of reliable sex-disaggregated data across all sectors is fundamental for effective gender analysis. This data is often lacking, hindering accurate assessment.
- Gender Impact Assessment (GIA): Conducting GIAs before formulating policies and budgets to anticipate their potential effects on women and men.
Stakeholder Involvement
- Participation of Women’s Groups: Involving women’s organizations and civil society groups in the budgeting process to ensure their voices are heard.
- Transparency and Accountability: Making gender budget information publicly accessible and establishing mechanisms for accountability.
Status of Gender Budgeting in India
India initiated gender budgeting in 2005-06 with a focus on identifying and tracking allocations for women-specific schemes. Over the years, the scope has expanded to include gender mainstreaming – examining the impact of all budgetary allocations on women.
| Aspect | Status (as of 2023-24 Budget) |
|---|---|
| Coverage of Ministries | Initially limited to a few ministries (Women & Child Development, Health), now covers 34 ministries/departments. |
| Budget Allocation (as % of total budget) | Around 5-6% of the total budget is earmarked for gender-specific schemes. (Knowledge Cutoff: 2024) |
| Types of Gender Budgeting | Part I: Women-specific schemes; Part II: Schemes with a women component; Part III: Gender mainstreaming. |
| Challenges | Limited sex-disaggregated data, inadequate capacity building, lack of robust gender audits, and insufficient stakeholder participation. |
While progress has been made, challenges remain. The effectiveness of gender budgeting is hampered by the lack of robust data, limited capacity of government officials, and inadequate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. Furthermore, the focus often remains on women-specific schemes (Part I) rather than mainstreaming gender considerations across all sectors (Part III).
Conclusion
Gender budgeting is a vital tool for achieving women’s empowerment in India. While the country has made strides in adopting this approach, significant challenges persist. Strengthening institutional mechanisms, improving data availability, enhancing capacity building, and fostering greater stakeholder participation are crucial for realizing the full potential of gender budgeting. A shift towards comprehensive gender mainstreaming, rather than solely focusing on women-specific schemes, is essential for creating a truly gender-equitable society.
Answer Length
This is a comprehensive model answer for learning purposes and may exceed the word limit. In the exam, always adhere to the prescribed word count.