The Union Budget 2014-15 will largely benefit neo-middle class, and offer comfort to middle and upper class women as consumers. Poor women will be crushed due to macro-economic policies that will fuel inflation, land alienation and user fees for education and health facilities. This time even women’s groups have not raised their voice against gender noninclusive aspects of the Union Budget.
After the terms Gender Budgeting and Gender Mainstreaming were officially introduced in 2004 by the UPA government, many state governments like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, Kerala, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have adopted gender budgeting. Gender Budget Cells were designed to serve as focal points for coordinating gender budgeting initiatives within their ministries and across departments. As many as 56 ministries departments have confirmed setting up of a cell/nominating a nodal person. This could materialise because the previous government’s Ministry of Women and Child Development, in collaboration with UN Women, had developed a Manual and Handbook for Gender Budgeting for Gender Budget Cells. The current Union Budget of 2014-15 has seen the Gender Budget Cells play a major role in budgetary allocations.
What is gender budgeting?
Gender budgeting does not relate to a separate budget for women but involves comparative analysis and construction of general budgets from a gender perspective. It helps governments to decide how policies need to be made, adjusted and reprioritised. It is a tool for effective policy implementation where one can check if gender commitments are translated into financial commitments.
The gender budget initiative is a policy framework, methodology and set of tools to assist governments to integrate a gender perspective into the budget as the main national plan of public expenditure. It also aims to facilitate attention to gender analysis in review of macroeconomic performance, ministerial budget preparations, parliamentary debate and mainstream media coverage. Budget impacts women’s lives in several ways. It directly promotes women’s development through allocation of budgetary funds for women’s programmes or reduces opportunities for empowerment of women through budgetary cuts.
The Union Budget 2014-15 has retained all schemes for empowerment of women and girls of the last decade under Women & Child Development with Rs. 18691 crores allocated for Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Rs. 715 crores for National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) and Rs. 400 crores for Integrated Child Protection Scheme. A new scheme– ‘Beti bachao Beti padhao’ was also launched with an allotment of `100 crore. The schemes can be classified into four categories:
Protective services
These include allocations for women’s homes and care institutions, rehabilitation schemes for victims of atrocities, pension for widows and destitute women etc., which are aimed at mitigating the consequences of women’s social and economic subordination, rather than addressing the root causes of this subordination. The schemes under this category are: Sabla, Swadhar-scheme for women in difficult circumstances, Ujjawala Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of Trafficking and Rescue, Rehabilitation and Re-Integration of Victims of Trafficking for Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Scheme of Short Stay Homes for Women and Girls and Scheme for welfare of working children in need of care and protection.
Social services
These include schemes for education and health of women, support services like crèche and hostels and also water supply sanitation and schemes on fuel and fodder, which contribute significantly to women’s empowerment, either directly by building their capacities and ensuring their material well-being, or indirectly through reducing domestic drudgery.
Schemes in this catergory are: the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY), General Grant-inaid (GIA) Scheme for Assistance to Voluntary Organisations in the field of Women and Child Development, General Grant-in-Aid Scheme in the field of Women and Child Development, Family Counseling Centre Scheme, Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme For the Children of Working Mothers, Nutrition Education and Training though Community Food & Nutrition Extension Units(CFNEUS), Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY) and Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls (NPAG).
The New Small Savings scheme a special small savings instrument has been proposed to cater to the requirements of education and marriage of the girl child. This would be in line with schemes like Kisan Vikas Patra or National Saving Certificate. The union budget promises drinking water and sanitation. It says the government would strive to provide toilets and drinking water in all the girls’ school in first phase.
The budget also promises to include a separate chapter on gender mainstreaming in the school curriculum. Gender Mainstreaming is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality.
Economic services
These includes schemes for training and skill development, and provision\ for credit, infrastructure, marketing etc., which are critical to women’s economic independence and autonomy. The budget has promised Easy Loan terms where the government will offer concessional loans to women in rural India at 4% in some districts, and 7% in other for women self help groups under a scheme called Ajeevika.
Regulatory services
These include institutional mechanisms for women’s empowerment, such as State Commissions for Women, Women’s Cells in police stations, awareness generation programme etc., which provide institutional spaces and opportunities for women’s empowerment. An outlay of `50 crores has been allocated in the current budget for pilot testing a scheme on “Safety for Women on Public Road, Transport”. The Union Budget 2014-15 also allocates a sum of Rs. 150 crores on a scheme to increase the safety of women in large cities. Budgetary provision is also made from Nirbhaya Fund for “Crisis Management Centres” in all the districts of NCT of Delhi in government and private hospitals. After the brutal gang rape of a young physiotherapist in Delhi in December, 2012 followed by nationwide outcry, safety of women gained prime importance in the public discourse. As a result, the previous government was forced to announce Nirbhaya Fund of Rs. 1000 crores in The Union Budget 2013-14. However the track record of outcome is abysmally poor. Official admission of 500% rise in reporting of rape cases has also not galvanised the governance structure to ensure speedy justice to the victims of sexual violence.
The Nirbhaya Fund is not used for preventive measures such as construction of night shelters for women, Information Desks for women at railway bus stations and help-lines connected nation-wide, one-stop crisis centers in the public hospitals and half way homes for elderly women along with pension (Rs. 1000 from Central and Rs. 1000 from state government per single woman), safe public toilets for women, safe public transport, safety on roads, bus stations and railway platforms and trains. Nor does it address public education campaigns about new laws such as Amendments in the Indian Evidence Act, Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013 and Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act, 2012.
Science & Technology
A budgetary allocation of `53 crores under ‘Disha Programme for Women in Science’ has been made to increase the representation of women and girls in Science and Technology fields through conferences, training programmes, networking platforms, etc and to enhance its activities with regard to education, training and empowerment of women.
Women entrepreneurs however had expected an offer of soft loans and subsidies with financial institutions providing more working capital assistance. They felt that the budget should look at policies that will make micro credit system and enterprise credit system available to women entrepreneurs at all levels and help organise training programmes to develop professional competencies in technical, managerial, leadership, marketing, financial, production process and other skills.
Tax relief
The 2014-15 budget does not give any specific relief to women tax payers. Middle class will be happy with increase in personal income tax limit from Rs. 2 lakhs to 2.5 lakhs. For senior citizens Income tax exemption limit for senior citizen has now been raised from Rs. 2.5 lakhs to Rs 3 lakh. The investment limit under Section 80C has also been hiked to Rs. 1.5 lakh from the current `1 lakh, while the FM increased housing loan interest rate deduction limit to Rs. 2 lakh and the PPF (Public Provident Fund) deposit ceiling is raised to Rs. 1.5 lakh per annum.
Public toilets for women and children
Massive allocation from budget on sanitation must be earmarked for toilets in public places for women and girls in Indian cities as they travel long distance for work and education. Working women need functioning toilets at railway stations and bus depots. And homemakers too have to attend social functions, visit market places, take children to gardens and hospitals. These public places must be provided with toilets.
The Union Budget needs clear gender commitment for the toiling women, who are poor. Only then will financial commitments bring gender responsive outcomes.
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Dr.Vibhuti Patel
The writer is the Professor and Head, Department of Economics, SNDT Women’s University, Churchgate.[/column]