A gender-sensitive budget, for once

Karnataka's 2018-19 budget, the Congress government's last before assembly polls, was a welcome 'gender-responsive' budget, reflecting the needs of men and women equally. With a separate section for schemes for women in the budget for the first time, it has raised awareness on the need to mainstream gender within politico-economic budgetary processes.

A 'gender-blind' budget is one that perpetuates inequality, fails to acknowledge the different needs of men and women and, instead, favours spending biased towards men, and groups and institutions led by men. In contrast, a 'gender-responsive' budget is one that increases spending on sectors that address women's needs.

Such a gender-responsive budgetary approach identifies policies and budget allocations that could alleviate gender inequalities, evaluates the efficacy of such allocations, surveys the existing methods for revenue collection through a gender lens, assesses the positive and negative impacts on women, and alters expenditure and revenue collection accordingly. This year's Karnataka budget saw an increase in outlay to Rs 5,371 crore for Women and Child Development from Rs 4,926 crore in 2017-18. However, we need to further analyse the women-centric initiatives as not just populist vote-garnering moves.

Addressing gender inequality has always worked best through raising gender awareness and sensitisation of men. The 1995 Beijing Declaration for Women put forth security and safety of women as a common goal for all countries across the globe.

Combining these aims, this state budget has set aside Rs 2 crore to inculcate a positive mindset about women through gender-sensitivity training amongst government employees, community policing volunteers, resident welfare associations, colleges and students, especially boys. It will also boost the representation of women in the police force by 25% in the next five years, upgrade all women police stations in district headquarters to one-stop service centres, establish Nirbhaya Kendras in all the police commissioners' offices and install CCTV cameras in 1,000 buses of BMTC.

Segregated spaces for women can enhance gender equality. This budget envisions building exclusive transit hostels, in association with voluntary organisations and private partners, as safe accommodation for women who come to Bengaluru for employment or to write entrance examinations; constructing separate toilets and dressing rooms for women in all public buildings by amending the Public Works Code; and equipping every police station with toilets for women.

In addition, in the field of education, it has planned to exempt all girl students taking admission in government pre-university, degree and post-graduation courses from having to pay fees; enhance admission strength of 25 post-matric hostels by 25 seats each; open five pre-matric women's hostels, two model residential schools, 25 student hostels, 10 working women's hostels, four BEd and DEd English-medium girls' residential colleges and resource centres and build separate sports hostels for women in five districts.

The biggest barriers women have faced all over the world are unequal access to resources, skills, finances and jobs. Siddaramaiah has plans for skill upgradation of about 100 women in light motor vehicle (LMV) driving at institutes in Bengaluru and Dharwad and 1,000 women candidates to promote more women drivers in BMTC.

While a special programme for women in IT sector will also be launched, Rs 1 crore has been set aside to start an information portal for women related to schemes, facilities and amenities for them. Besides Rs 10 crore has been earmarked to set up 100 mobile anganwadi centres/creches for children of construction labourers; Rs 17.5 crore to start 250 new anganwadi centres in urban areas; to provide interest-free loans of Rs 50,000 for the purchase of scooters for 2,503 anganwadi supervisors, including Rs 1,000 per month for fuel expenses. He has given a fillip to women entrepreneurs by laying down that preference will be given in public procurement (catering, housekeeping, solid-waste management in the local areas of the cities, etc) for self-help groups and representatives of women entrepreneurs.

Under Udyogini Scheme for special and general category women, the maximum limit of loan will be increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, subsidy at 30% of loan amount, income limit of the family to Rs 1.5 lakh and age limit for all categories will be increased from 45 to 55 years.

All these measures look great on paper. It remains to be seen to what extent all the outlays are utilised. Madhu Bhushan, a city-based gender activist, rightly noted that while all announced measures are welcome, they will play out better if the civil society is more involved in carrying them out. While gender-sensitive budgets are a very good way of taking corrective action to address gender inequality, the test always lies in their implementation. While the people of Karnataka will go to the polling booths in a few weeks from now, they must hold their government accountable to its promises.

(The writer is Associate Professor, Centre for Research in Education and Social Sciences, Jain University)