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Need for an Inclusive and Effective Gender Budget
Context:
The Union Budget 2025-26 has been widely praised for its increased allocation towards women-centric schemes, with the total gender budget rising to ₹4.49 lakh crore—a significant 37.25% increase from the previous fiscal year’s allocation of ₹3.27 lakh crore.
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- Even when adjusted for inflation at an estimated 3.61%, this increase remains substantial.
- However, while rising allocations signal the government’s intent to bridge gender disparities, the economic benefits for women, particularly those from marginalised communities, have not kept pace with the increased expenditure.
Rising Allocations, Limited Impact
- Consistent Rise: The gender budget has seen a consistent rise over the years: from ₹1.71 lakh crore in 2022-23 to ₹2.38 lakh crore in 2023-24, ₹3.27 lakh crore in 2024-25, and now ₹4.49 lakh crore in 2025-26.
- Limited Benefits: While this demonstrates the government’s focus on gender inclusivity, tangible benefits for marginalised women, particularly those from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), remain limited.
- Despite multiple initiatives, such as the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) with a ₹300 crore allocation and the Dharti Aba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan with ₹75 crore aimed at tribal welfare, their implementation has failed to transform the lives of these communities effectively.
- Lack of Past Evaluations: For two decades, India has been drafting a gender budget, yet past evaluations have not been incorporated effectively.
- Lack of Integration: The failure to integrate intersectional considerations of caste, class, and tribal identities has resulted in policies that do not adequately address the needs of marginalised women.
- As Vikas Singh from Daang Vikas Sansthan, an organisation supporting widows of mine workers in Rajasthan, notes, “Schemes look good on paper, but digitisation has created new barriers. Most women lack digital literacy, making it difficult to access welfare schemes without middlemen.”
Challenges of Outdated Census Data and Poor Implementation
- Layered Discrimination: Women from SC/ST communities face intersecting layers of discrimination, making it imperative to analyse how budgetary allocations address these issues.
- The Union Budget 2025-26 allocated ₹14,925.81 crore to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, a 45.79% increase from the previous year’s revised estimate of ₹10,237.33 crore.
- However, allocations under the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) are not explicitly detailed, making it difficult to assess their direct impact on SC/ST women.
- Absence of Gender-Disaggregated Data: These sub-plans are embedded in various ministries’ budgets to ensure targeted development for SCs and STs.
- However, the absence of gender-disaggregated data within these plans makes it challenging to measure their effectiveness for marginalised women.
- Outdated Data: Further compounding the issue is the outdated Census data—India’s last Census was conducted in 2011.
- Without updated statistics, it is difficult to tailor government policies effectively, raising concerns about accountability.
- Underutilisation: A report by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) on the Dalit Adivasi Budget 2023-24 highlights that over 35% of the funds allocated under SCSP and TSP remain underutilised due to bureaucratic inefficiencies and a lack of community involvement.
- Red Tapism: Complicated paperwork, procedural barriers, low outreach, and financial jargon make it difficult for women to access these welfare schemes.
- Although many women may not grasp the intricacies of the Economic Survey, they eagerly await schemes and subsidies that could improve their lives.
- Lack of Diversity: Moreover, schemes often fail to account for regional, cultural, and social diversities.
- In tribal areas, access to education and healthcare remains poor.
- The literacy rate among tribal women stands at 49.4%, compared to the national female literacy rate of 64.63% (Census 2011), highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions.
Addressing Structural Barriers
- Sandeep Patnaik, a researcher and journalist focusing on women’s rights and panchayati raj institutions, asserts that “Strengthening local institutions and ensuring better utilization of existing funds is as important as increasing allocations.”
- Additionally, there is a pressing need to address the issue of “sarpanch husbands”—men who unofficially control elected female representatives—which continues to obstruct meaningful empowerment.
Roadmap for Effective Gender Budgeting
- Conduct Intersectional Audits: Gender budgets should incorporate evaluations that consider the intersectionality of caste, class, and tribal identities at both central and state levels.
- Adopt Community-Led Approaches: Women from SC/ST backgrounds should be actively involved in the planning and monitoring of schemes.
- Kerala’s Kudumbashree initiative has demonstrated that community-led implementation significantly enhances outreach and effectiveness.
- Ensure Transparency and Accountability: Establishing clear monitoring mechanisms to track fund utilisation is crucial.
- The creation of a gender budget tracking portal would foster public accountability and better implementation.
- Invest in Digital and Financial Literacy: With increasing digitisation, targeted programs must be launched to bridge the digital divide and empower women to access welfare schemes independently.
- Strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions: Local governance bodies should be given adequate resources and training to implement gender-sensitive policies effectively, ensuring last-mile delivery of services.
