Economic Survey 2018-19: 53% women own bank account

Participation of married women in household decision making has increased to 84% in 2015-16.

Gender Budgeting, as stated by the Ministry of Women & Child Development in 2015, is using Budget as an entry point to apply a gender lens to the entire policy process.

The Economic Survey 2018-19 stated that as many as 30 Ministries or Departments reported having schemes with women's component, amounting to approximately 5 per cent (1,31,699.52 Crore) of the total Union Budget, according to the Gender Budget Statement of 2019-20.

It also said 57 Ministries/Departments have formed Gender Budget Cells to institutionalise and strengthen gender budgeting processes.

During the last 3 financial years, over 4,500 government officials have been trained under the GB Scheme.

Percentage of women having bank account-State wise (Economic Survey 2018-19)

The proportion of women having a bank or savings accounts that they use by themselves has increased from 15.5 per cent in 2005-06 to 53 per cent in 2015-16.

The participation of married women in household decision making has increased from 76.5 per cent in 2005-06 to 84 per cent in 2015-16 at all India level, as per NFHS-4.

Percentage of Currently Married Women (15-59 years) involved in Household (Economic Survey 2018-19)

With Goa leading in terms of women’s participation in household decision making with Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal and North Eastern States being the next front runners. Bihar stands at the lowest compared to other states.

The Survey says "the role of women is critical not only across agriculture and industrial sectors but also in governance, education and health services. Societies with patriarchal norms and gender stereotyping will continuously move backwards without making progress."

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Gender budgeting was referred for the first time by Yashwant Sinha, the then Finance Minister of India, in his budget speech in 2001.

Gender budget cells on the lines of the Charter for Gender Budget cells to be set up by Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs as instructed by the Ministry of Finance in 2012. A road map towards institutionalising gender budgeting was also issued as a guideline at State level in 2013.