The Gender Budget Statement (GBS) launched by the Tamil Nadu authorities reveals a necessity for an intersectional and decentralised gender budgeting course of, in response to a truth file on the assertion carried out by the Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC).
According to the GBS, Rs. 1.22 lakh crore was allotted for the welfare of ladies underneath varied schemes the place girls beneficiaries ranged from 30%-100%.
Split into three components, underneath Part A, a complete of Rs. 27,915 crore was allotted for schemes which can be focused just for girls, in Part B, about Rs. 39,176 crore was allotted for schemes the place the ladies beneficiaries vary from 40-99%, and Rs. 55,739 crore in Part C for schemes the place at the very least 30% beneficiaries are girls.
The truth file finds that the GBS of different States and the Union authorities has solely Part A and Part B whereas the Tamil Nadu authorities has additionally launched Part C. According to a senior official from the Social Welfare division, Part C includes schemes that are gender impartial and gender blind, therefore schemes which profit transpersons and others would come underneath this.
Drawing a parallel to the Punjab authorities’s Gender Budget, which additionally features a Part C, S. Kamatchi, assistant director, Social Watch stated “The Punjab government’s gender budget, which has a Part C, has scheme-supported narration. How can Part C in the Tamil Nadu GBS be more when compared to the other two parts?”
The evaluation additionally identified that the Tamil Nadu authorities presents the GBS as one of many appendices to the Budget Memorandum within the State Assembly whereas practically 11 different States current it as a separate doc.
The truth file additionally confirmed that 96.2% of the funds estimate for the monetary yr 2024-2025 is for the social welfare and diet sector in Part A with the second being training, tradition and sports activities sector. Sectors similar to water provide, sanitation, housing and city growth and labour & labour welfare have acquired solely negligent funding in Part A which is for women-targeted schemes.
Lack of Gender Budget Cells
In the rules issued by the State authorities in 2022, Gender Budget Cells had been to be shaped in each division and they might gather knowledge periodically to measure the influence of the programmes.
According to an RTI from December 2023, it was discovered that solely 5 departments within the Tamil Nadu authorities — Rural Development Department; Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection Department; Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department; Public Works Department and Commissioner of Social Welfare — had Gender Budgeting Cells. “These cells are necessary to find where policy is lacking to implement schemes with a gender lens,” stated Vanessa Peter, founder, IRUCDC.
Womens’ group activists additionally identified that pre-budget session, sectoral critiques, gender efficiency audit or evaluation of earlier GBS to evaluate adequacy of estimation. “There needs to be a way for the civil society organisations to be part of the discussion so that beneficial schemes can be formulated. Further there is also a need for a decentralised gender budget which can address issues regarding women from all classes,” added Ms. Kamatchi.
Citing the instance of the Punjab authorities the place the Finance Department and Social Security, Women and Child Development Department put together the GBS, she additional added the departments might work collectively the place the Social Welfare division might implement the scheme.
