Skip to main content

Gender budgeting? Central allocation for 2015-16 lowest in five years

 
A fresh analysis of the Gender Budget Statement (GBS) for 2015-16 has revealed that the total allocation under it as proportion of the Union budget has been progressively going down, with 2015-16 being the lowest of the last five years.
In 2015-16, the analysis, carried out by a reputed non-profit organization, says that allocation under gender budgeting is 0.94 per cent of the Union budget, as against 1.04 per cent in 2014-15, 1.53 per cent in 2013-14, 1.32 per cent in 2012-13 and 1.55 per cent in 2011-12.
Especially referring to specific schemes, under which gender budgeting takes effect, the analysis has found that, in absolute numbers, the allocation for midday meal is down from Rs 3,965 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 2,771 crore in 2015-16; for the Scheme for the Protection and Development of Women from Rs 315 crore to Rs 78 crore; for Rashtriya Uccha Shiksha Abhiyan from Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 1,010 crore; and for the Integrated Child Development Scheme from Rs 10,735 crore to Rs 7,502 crore.
Carried out by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), New Delhi, the analysis says the Government of India believes the lower allocation would compensated with “enhanced devolution of Union Taxes to states as recommended by the 14th Finance Commission”, with states asked to "contribute from their enhanced resources”
"However", comments the analysis, "It is important to note that the allocation of resources to these schemes by states would depend on the prioritisation for these by the states." The fact is, "the magnitude of funds meant exclusively for women have declined as a proportion of the Union Budget and GDP in 2015-16. This decline is indicative of the reduced priority for women in the Union Budget."
The analysis further states, "Only three schemes, i.e., Infrastructure Maintenance (Department of Health and Family Welfare), Nirbhaya Fund for Safety of Women (Department of Economic Affairs) and Indira Awas Yojana have allocations exceeding Rs. 1,000 crore. Likewise, only two schemes, Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (Ministry of Women and Child Development) and Scheme on Women Safety on Public Road Transport from Nirbhaya Fund (Ministry of Road Transport& Highways) have allocations of more than Rs. 100 crore."
According to the analysis, "Most schemes, meant only for women have allocations of less than Rs 100 crore. The need to strengthen budgetary outlays, especially for interventions to address violence against women, has been ignored in Union Budget 2015-16. The Government earlier last year announced the setting up of a One Stop Crisis Centre in each district of the country", which "cannot be met from the allocations in this Budget. The allocations for this scheme stand at Rs 2 core in 2015-16 (BE)."
Further, says the analysis, "Important schemes like Women’s Helpline and Scheme for Assistance to States for Implementation of Protection of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005 have not been allocated the necessary outlays, even as there are unutilized funds under the Nirbhaya Fund."
It adds, "Among the schemes by Ministry of Women and Child Development that will have a changed sharing pattern is the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS). The scheme is being transferred to states, whereby the Union Government will provide capital expenditure (such as expenditure on construction of Anganwadi Centres etc.). The states would be expected to bear the revenue expenditure), which is going to be the large part of expenditure under the scheme."

Comments

TRENDING

World Hijab Day? Ex-Muslim women observe Feb 1 as No Hijab Day, insist: 'Put it on a Man'

I didn't know that there could ever be a thing as World Hijab Day until I received an email alert from Maryam Namazie of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB), stating that several ex-Muslim women's groups had observed the same day—February 1—as No Hijab Day! According to Namazie, the day "was created on February 1 as a direct response to World Hijab Day" to "illuminate the coercive and oppressive realities of the hijab as a pillar of sex apartheid and a war on women."

Google powered AI refuses to correct grammar of a 'balanced' piece on Trump sending chained immigrants to India!

This is a continuation of my blog on how, while the start-up-developed AI app DeepSeek is being criticized for consistently rejecting content related to China or Maoism, there appears to be no mention in Western media about why another app, developed by the powerful Google, Gemini, remains silent on Indian political issues.  

Gujarat a police state? How top High Court advocate stunned a senior-most journalist

Rajdeep Sardesai, Anand Yagnik This is a continuation of my earlier blog on well-known journalist Rajdeep Sardesai's lecture in memory of the late Achyut Yagnik at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA). I was a little surprised when I received the intimation about the venue for the lecture.

5% poor in India? Union govt claim debunked, '26.4% of population below poverty line'

A recent paper, referring to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2022-23 of the Government of India (GoI), has debunked the official claim that poverty has substantially declined. Titled "Poverty in India: The Rangarajan Method and the 2022–23 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey", the paper —authored by scholars CA Sethu, LT Abhinav Surya, and CA Ruthu—states that "more than a quarter of India’s population falls below the poverty line."

Why predictions of an imminent collapse of the Russian economy may be wrong

A veteran Canadian journalist, settled in Russia, stated in a Facebook post that President Donald Trump "is apparently listening to experts who tell him that Russia's economy is on the verge of 'imploding,' and if he just squeezes a bit harder," his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "will fall into line."

Talking of increased corporate control over news, Rajdeep Sardesai 'evades' alternative media

When I received an intimation that well-known journalist Rajdeep Sardesai was to speak at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) on February 2, my instant reaction was: I know what he is going to say—his views are quite well known; he wouldn’t be saying anything new. Yet, I decided to go and listen to him to catch his mood at a time when the media, as he (and I) knew it, is changing fast due to the availability of new technological tools that were not accessible even a decade ago.

Why burn Manusmriti? Why not preserve it to demonstrate, display historicity of casteism?

In a significant Facebook post, Rana Singh, former associate professor of English at Patna University, has revealed something that few seem to know. Titled "The Shudras in Manusmriti", Singh says,  because Manusmriti is discussed so often, he thought of reading it himself. “This book likely dates back to the 2nd or 3rd century BCE, and the presence of contradictory statements suggests that it is not the work of a single author,” he says in his Facebook post in Hindi, written in 2022 and recently reshared.

I'm flattered: A New York media house claims I was a KGB agent! Wow, I didn't know that

I was astonished, let me say pleasantly surprised, on receiving a comment by Rich TVX News  on my blog   "Why predictions of an imminent collapse of the Russian economy may be wrong" (January 28).  I don't know who wrote the strange comment from this "media house", which is based in New York, and claims to "hold sway not only among the masses but also within global corridors of power, influencing esteemed politicians and shaping international diplomacy, especially evident during pivotal events like the ongoing crisis in Ukraine."

Gujarat's water anarchy? 16.7% of Narmada water going to industry, 33% of targeted area irrigated: Govt insider

The Narmada project is something that has always excited me, including how much water will be distributed and to which sector. A few days ago, when I was talking to a top Gujarat government insider, I was a little surprised when I was told that it is up to the “respective states to decide how much Narmada water they would distribute among various sectors” out of the total quota allocated to the four states—Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan—as per the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal award of 1979.