Tag: GENDER BUDGET STATEMENT (GBS) 2025-26

The Gender Budget Statement (GBS) 2025-26 introduces increased allocations and broader ministry participation, strengthening gender-responsive budgeting (GRB). Key Highlights of GBS 2025-26 Budget Increase: ₹4.49 lakh crore (8.86% of Union Budget 2025-26), 5% rise from FY 2024-25. Largest Gender Budget: Focuses on women’s welfare, education, and economic empowerment, with 49 ministries reporting allocations. Categorization: Gender Budget classified into three parts for systematic allocation. Gender Budgeting in India: Definition: A tool to allocate resources based on gender-specific needs, ensuring gender-sensitive policies. Background: India ratified CEDAW in 1993, leading to its first GBS in 2005-06. Falls under Samarthya sub-scheme of Mission Shakti. Implementation Levels: Central: Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD). State: Women & Child Development, Social Welfare, Finance and Planning Departments. District: Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW), with gender specialists. Importance: Addresses discrimination & exploitation, promoting SDG 5 (Gender Equality). Supports women-centric laws like the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013 & POSH Act, 2013. Need for Gender Budgeting: Moral & Economic Imperative: Helps break gender inequality Global Ranking: India ranks 129th out of 146 in Gender Gap Report 2024. Intergenerational Impact: Women invest in children’s education & health, boosting development. Challenges in Gender Budgeting Ambiguities in Allocation: Unclear methodology leads to misclassification, e.g., MGNREGS underreported, PMAY-G women's ownership issue. Fund Concentration: 90% of gender budget concentrated in a few ministries, reducing sectoral impact. Long-term Scheme Dominance: Schemes like Ayushman Bharat & Awas Yojana take funds away from immediate-impact programs like Mission Shakti & female education. Weak Monitoring & Evaluation: Lack of gender-segregated data, ineffective tracking, and poor impact assessments hinder evaluation. Political Will: GRB may not align with political priorities, leading to inadequate support. Way Forward Integration Across Ministries: Ensure gender-sensitive budgeting in infrastructure, rural development, and other sectors. Encourage State GRB: Increase state-level GRB focus, prioritizing vulnerable women. Transparent Reporting: Publicly disclose allocation methodologies & rationales, regular gender audits. Capacity Building: Training officials on gender budgeting to improve policy design & implementation. This framework ensures greater gender equity in fiscal planning and execution.

Tag: GENDER BUDGET STATEMENT (GBS) 2025-26

GENDER BUDGET STATEMENT (GBS) 2025-26

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