Whenever there is a talk about, ‘What women received from the budget?’, then some people put-out a question mark that, ‘every scheme is announced for men and women, then why there is a need for the gender based budgeting?’ But before saying this, we tend forget that India is at 112th position in Gender Gap Index 2020, 149th rank in economic participation and opportunity and 117th rank in wage equality for similar work. According to the Monsters Salary Index (MSI) 2019, women earn 19% less than men for the same work. They face discrimination and safety issue right from the birth-to- death at all the places i.e. at home or outside, private or public place. So, the Gender Responsive Budget is a way for the government to promote equality, financial and social both, between women’s and men’s through fiscal policy.
This was our first budget in the post lockdown world, where Everybody were very hopeful and were expecting that in this budget some significant announcements will be made for women who suffered due to multifaceted issues like lost jobs, violence ,exploitation and abuses , and there might have been efforts made by the government in this regards. Notable points the current budget includes:-
• Allocation for Ministry of Women and Child Development is decreased to Rs. 24,435 crore which was Rs. 30,007 crore in 2020-21.
• According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in India rape is reported in every 15 minutes. Domestic violence reported during knock down is more than those of the last one decade. Still the budget allocation to Nirbhaya fund has been decreased from Rs 855 crore to Rs. 10 crore in budget 2021-22. Budget allotted to Mission for Protection and Empowerment of Women has been decreased to Rs. 48 crore which was Rs. 1163 crore in 2020-21.
• Mission Shakti has been allotted Rs 3,109 crore which includes Sambal and Samarthya yojana.
• The National Commission for Protection of Child Right has been allocated Rs 18 crore same as last year. 27 crore has been allocated to the National Commission for Women’s Budget.
• Mission Poshan 2.0 and Jal Jeevan Mission Urban will be introduced. Rs. 20,105 crore has been allocated under Mission Poshan 2.0 Scheme. The Urban Swachh Bharat scheme will be implemented with an outlay of over Rs 1.4 lakh crore. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana which had already benefited 8 crore families is to be extended to cover 1 crore more beneficiaries.
• Budget estimates for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural housing) and Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension scheme have remained unchanged.
• Custom duty on gold and silver has been decreased from 12.5% to 7.5%. But the government has proposed agriculture infrastructure and development cess of 2.5%.
• Margin Capital required for loans via Stand-up India Scheme reduced from 25% to 15% for SCs, STs, and women.
• The Finance Minister announced a special scheme for welfare of women and children in Assam and Bengal. Rs. 1000 crore allotted to tea workers in both states.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that women will be allowed to work in all sectors and in night shifts with adequate security. But she did not clearly mention which type of security will be given. And also no budget allotted for this.
Some of the areas where budget has failed to address
- Labour Force Participation-
As per OXFAM report, in April 2020, 1.70 crore women lost their jobs and women’s unemployment level reached to 33%. Most of these are still unemployed. As per reports only 16% women employed in December 2019 where able to keep their jobs during and after lockdown as compared to 60% men. But no- considerable announcement have been made to increase the labour force participation of women. - Education-
As per the Right to Education Forum Policy brief, 10 million girls in India could drop secondary school due to covid-19 pandemic. 1.6 million Girls aged 11 to 14 years are currently out of school. In response to this the budget for National Scheme of Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education has been decreased from Rs. 110 crore in budget estimate in 2020-21 to Rs. 1 crore in this year’s budget. - No scheme for women doing unpaid care work-
Unpaid Care Work is a factor responsible for falling labour force participation. Women doing unpaid work are at greater risk of domestic violence. Moreover, as per Oxfam’s report, if as many Indian women as Chinese were participating in paid employment, India’s GDP could have grown at 27% and if that participation rate was similar to that of Indian men, India’s GDP could grow at 43%.
Government must bring schemes to bring more women in paid employment, this will boost our GDP. Government must bring part time and full time training and skill development courses for women who want to restart their career. Government should bring policy to equalize the wage gap between male and female for similar work. - Single Parent
Government must provide financial assistance and social security to single parents (especially single mothers) who are unemployed.
Policies must be brought to help them in buying affordable houses. - Sex Workers
During lockdown, Sex workers had struggled to obtain the resources needed to stay housed, pay bills and self-isolate. Everyone needs food to eat, feed their kids, medicines, etc. Government must provide financial support to them through DBT. - Menstrual Hygiene Awareness
Menstrual Hygiene needs more than just distribution of free or low cost sanitary Product. Menstruation and menstrual practices still face many social, cultural, and religious restrictions which are a big barrier in the path of menstrual hygiene management. In many parts of the country especially in rural areas girls are not prepared and aware about menstruation so they face many difficulties and challenges at home, schools, and workplaces. Government should make plans and policies to educate and make them aware about the environmental pollution and health hazards associated with them.
(Writer is a Student of B.Com (Hons.) 3rd Year at FoC, BHU and Member of Finance and Economics Think Council)