Gender Responsive budgeting as infused greater accountability of planning departments towards women empowerment. Examine this statement

[McGregor]

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[McGregor]

Gender Budgeting(GB) is an innvotative budgetary practice which seeks to distribute fruits of development equitably between men and women. Gender Budgeting in India formally discussed in 2001 and started with institution of gender budgeting cells in every ministry in 2006.

Gender Budgeting and Accountability

With high levels of gender disparity for e.g. 50% population of women holds only 2% of wealth, gender budgeting has become a tool for effective redistribution of wealth between genders. For e.g. ear marked Nirbhaya fund of 1000 crore rupees.

GB has changed the development administration approach wherein the women are no longer seen as passive beneficiries but active partners in securing development.. For e.g. specia emphasis has been given to SHG like SEWA who are focussing upon empowerment based model.

GB has improved the efficiency , effectivemess and economy (NPM values) of Government schemes such as Janani Suraksha yojna, JSSY, MAA, PM surakshit Matritva Abhiyan.

GB has led to more demand side strengthening there by advocating right based approach of SEN wherein women have started asserting their claims on state. 

GB has ensured more sustainable and inclusive development whereby goverance is focussing more upon continuous accountability and not adhoc. 

However, gender mainstreaming which is the aim of gender budgeting needs more systemic overhaul such as inceased representation of female in Parliament (currently 11%), social empowerment by bolstering elceted women representatives capacity through training such as KILA in Kerela, greater emphasis upon skill development, health , education , promotion of mahila sabhas similar to Rajasthan and greater participation in governance process. 

[McGregor]

Gender Budgeting is a tool of gender mainstreaming so that fruits of development are distributed well between men and women. GB in India started formally in 2001 and took contrete shape in 2006 with the formation of gender budgeting cells in each department. 

Gender Budgeting has increased accountability towards women empowerment as

1. IT focused uppon life cycle based approach as opposed to adhoc piecemeal measrues. for e.g. schemes from conception stage such as Beti bacha beti padhao to old age are being drafted.

2. IT is more focussed towards outcome ras opposed to outlays for e.g. due to gender sensitive budgeting sex ratio in Haryana has sprung up to >900.

3. GB has increased the awareness and outreach of government policies  thereby imropving the efficiency and effectiveness. 

4. It holds government directly accountable for securing equity (NPA) in policy planning process. 

5. IT has brought much needed change in development and planning process wherein we focus upon strengthening demand side of the development administration in contrast to supply side such as empowering self help groups (SEWA)

Overall Gender budeting has set up institution of continuous accountability from citizen and more important from feminst pressure groups. But Inspite of affirmative actions there still vast gender gap in indian society which Gender budgeting alone cannot fill. We need multi pronged approach were in bigger reforms such as women reservation in parliament (108CAA), promoting women entreprenuers , bolstering Mahila Sabhas, wisdespread publicity of government initiatives etc are needed. We need governance which is gender sensitive and inclusive as stated in SDG goal 10.