Mains Practice Questions

Introduction

Gender budgeting is a gender-sensitive approach to public finance that integrates gender concerns into Union and State budgets rather than operating as a separate budget.

• India, the Gender Budget outlay has risen from ₹0.98 lakh crore in 2014-15 to ₹4.49 lakh crore in 2025-26, with its share in the Union Budget increasing from 5.46% to a robust 8.86%.

Body:

Institutional Mechanisms For Gender Budgeting In India

• Ministry Of Women And Child Development (MoWCD) As Nodal Agency: MoWCD plays a coordinating role by issuing guidelines, capacity-building modules, and reviewing gender budgeting efforts across ministries.
  • It acts as a knowledge and facilitation hub rather than an implementing authority.
• Gender Budget Statement: The Ministry of Finance integrates gender perspectives through the Gender Budget Statement presented annually with the Union Budget.
  • It provides oversight and ensures inter-ministerial consistency in reporting.
• Gender Budgeting Cells (GBCs) In Ministries And Departments: Most central ministries and several states have established GBCs to identify gender-relevant schemes, analyze allocations, and suggest modifications.
  • These cells institutionalize gender concerns within sectoral policymaking.
• Parliamentary Oversight And Audit Institutions: Parliamentary committees and the Comptroller and Auditor General indirectly contribute by scrutinizing expenditure efficiency and outcomes of welfare schemes impacting women.

Procedural Mechanisms Adopted In Gender Budgeting

• Gender Budget Statement (GBS): The GBS classifies allocations into Part A (100% women-specific schemes) and Part B (schemes with at least 30% allocation for women). This enables visibility of gender-focused spending across sectors such as health, education, rural development, and livelihoods.
• Ex-Ante Gender Analysis In Scheme Design: Ministries are encouraged to assess how policies and schemes affect women differently before finalizing allocations. This procedural step aims to move beyond post-facto reporting toward gender-responsive planning.
• Outcome Budgeting And Monitoring: Gender-related outcomes are expected to be tracked through outcome budgets and performance indicators, linking financial allocations to service delivery and beneficiary impact.

Challenges In Translating Allocations Into Measurable Social Outcomes

• Input-Focused Rather Than Outcome-Oriented Budgeting: Gender budgeting often emphasizes expenditure tracking rather than impact assessment.
  • For example, high allocations to nutrition or maternal health schemes do not always translate into proportional improvements in women’s health indicators due to weak outcome monitoring.
• Limited Capacity Of Gender Budgeting Cells: Many GBCs function as compliance units with inadequate technical expertise. This results in mechanical reporting rather than substantive gender analysis influencing policy design.
• Sectoral And Scheme Fragmentation: Women-related interventions are spread across ministries such as health, rural development, housing, and skill development.
  • Poor coordination leads to duplication, gaps, and diluted impact, especially for multi-dimensional issues like women’s employment.
• Data And Indicator Deficits: Lack of disaggregated, real-time gender data limits the ability to measure outcomes.
  • For instance, employment or skill schemes often report enrolments but not long-term empowerment outcomes such as income control or job retention.
• Socio-Cultural And Implementation Constraints: Deep-rooted patriarchy, mobility constraints, and care burdens limit women’s access to schemes.
  • As a result, allocations on paper do not always reach or empower intended beneficiaries.

Measures To Improve Outcomes of Gender Budgeting

• Shift From Gender Budgeting To Gender-Responsive Budgeting: Countries like Austria link budget allocations to legally mandated gender equality outcomes.
  • India can similarly integrate gender targets into performance budgeting frameworks.
• Strengthen Outcome Indicators And Gender Data Systems: Drawing from Canada’s Gender Results Framework, India can develop standardized gender outcome indicators across sectors, supported by robust disaggregated data collection.
• Capacity Building Of Line Ministries And GBCs: Adopting practices from South Africa, India can invest in continuous training of officials to conduct sector-specific gender impact assessments rather than generic reporting.
• Integrate Gender Audits And Independent Evaluation: Regular gender audits, as practiced in UN Women-supported countries, can assess whether spending translates into empowerment outcomes, enabling mid-course corrections.
• Enhance Convergence And Local-Level Implementation: Empowering local governments to plan and implement gender-responsive interventions, as seen in Nordic countries, can align budgets with ground realities and community needs.

Conclusion

India has a sound institutional framework for gender budgeting, reflecting strong policy intent, but weak capacity, limited outcome focus, and socio-cultural constraints dilute its impact. Strengthening data systems, accountability, and outcome-based planning is crucial to turn gender budgets from symbolic allocations into real empowerment outcomes..