Page 41 - Forbes - India (January 2020)

gender

committee with “government and believe that budgetary allocations fragmented at the micro and sectoral
private stakeholders” to evaluate have not translated into on-ground levels. If we can identify, say, five
the budget with a gender lens and development largely because of gender development goals for the
pave the way for more inclusive the lack of targeted expenditure medium term, set targets to be
fiscal outlays. One year on, the backed by adequate research and reached, along with the processes,
committee remains only on paper, analysis. Other factors include low the path and the budgetary backup,
while development indices for Indian implementation at the state and it will be easy to follow that
women have never been more bleak. district-levels, less emphasis on roadmap. The ministry of finance
The Global Gender Gap Report data collection and interpretation, (MoF) can take the lead in making
2020 released by the World Economic incomplete inclusion of the this ‘roadmap’ happen,” she says.
Forum (WEF), for instance, indicates informal sector into the process, The team at NIPFP pioneered the
that India slipped four ranks from and limited to no accountability research related to the introduction
last year to 112 among 153 countries. among government officials. of gender budgeting in India back
The report measures how countries in the early 2000s, besides getting it
perform in reducing women’s Outlay vs OutcOmes institutionalised within the MoF.
disadvantage compared to men in As an essential first step to gender Gender-responsive budgeting
politics, economic empowerment, budgeting, inputs need to drive the (GRB) was introduced in 2004 as a
health and education. India’s overall right outcomes, and the outcomes “silent revolution”, says Chakraborty.
ranking is 14 positions lower than have to be connected to human The idea was not to produce a
where it was in 2006, when the WEF development indices (HDIs). Lekha separate budget for women, but
first started measuring gender gap. Chakraborty, professor, National to apply a gender lens to fiscal
The economic disparity between Institute of Public Finance and Policy expenditure and allocate funds with a
men and women in India is (NIPFP), calls the lack of macro- priority on gender-specific outcomes.
particularly staggering, according framework for gender the “biggest That the policymakers took essential
to the report, with only one-third lacuna” in the budgeting process. steps to institutionalise GRB at the
(35.4 percent) of the distance “Gender development is highly MoF level is often seen as a strength. 41
being bridged. India ranks among India has been producing gender-
the bottom four countries of the budgeting statements as part of the
world when it comes to economic Union Budget since 2004-05. It is
participation and opportunities divided into two parts, depending
for women (rank 149), followed by on the intensity of the gender
health and survival (rank 150). component in public expenditure.
At the same time, estimated budget Part A includes schemes that are 100
outlays for the ministry of women percent targeted for women, while
and child development (WCD) have Part B is composite schemes with at
only increased consistently in the least 30 percent benefits to women.
last three years. In 2017, the total In 2015, the WCD ministry
budget estimate for the WCD was also released a handbook on
`22,095 crore, nearly a 20 percent gender budgeting, offering states
increase from `17,640 crore the comprehensive implementation
year before. In 2018, this allocation guidelines. Yet, as of today, only
was hiked by almost 12 percent to about 16 states have undertaken
`24,700 crore. Last year, Sitharaman GRB, while the gender budget
increased the outlay by another 17 occupies less than 1 percent of the
percent to `29,000 crore. Many
women-oriented schemes received
heavy backing during the same time, “genDer DeveloPment iS fragmenteD at the
including homes and shelters for micro anD Sectoral levelS. if we can iDentify,
widows, the government’s flagship
‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, Mahila Say, five goalS, Set targetS anD ProceSSeS,
Shakti Kendras, and the maternity it will Be eaSy to follow that roaDmaP.”
benefit programme Pradhan
Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana. Lekha Chakraborty, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy
Economists and policy experts

january 31, 2020 • forbes india