Gender Budget shows an increase of 38.7%

The Gender Budget Component this year accounted for 6.4% of the total Budget.

New Delhi: A comprehensive programme for “synergy” in all the programmes relating to maternal and child care, upgrading of Anganwadi Centres, and the increase in the target for Lakhpati Didis from 2 crores to 3 crores are some of the key announcements made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday aimed at women and the gender sector.

A close look at the government’s allocation under the Gender Budget Component in 2024-25 shows a jump of 38.7 per cent– from an allocation of Rs 2,23,219.75 crore in 2023-24 it rose to Rs 3,09,690.10 crore in 2024-25.

This is an increase from 2023-24, when the allocation for the Gender Budget Component had seen a 23 per cent hike.

The Gender Budget Component this year accounted for 6.4 per cent of the total Budget.

The allocation is spread across 38 government departments and ministries, as well as five Union Territories. In the Gender Budget, the allocation for women specific programmes is Rs 1,12,394.15 crores which is a hike of 27.6 per cent from Rs 88,044.21 crores allocated last year.

The allocation of Rs 54,500 for the rural component of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and an allocation of Rs 26,170.61 crores in urban areas, earmarked under the urban affairs ministry, contributed to a significant chunk of the Gender Budget Component.

Apart from that, an allocation of Rs 15,047 crore under the National Rural Livelihood Mission Aajeevika under the rural development ministry was one of the key allocations.

The allocation for the women and child development ministry went up marginally from Rs 25,448.75 crores crores in 2023-24 to Rs 26,092.19 crores, an increase of 2.5 cent. Revised estimates for 2023-24 was Rs 25,448.68 crores.

Of the ministries schemes, a significant part of the allocation went to the nutrition scheme, POSHAN Abhiyaan, which was allocated Rs 21,200 crores, a marginal increase from Rs 20,554,31 crores, but a fall from the revised estimates of Rs 21,523.13 crores.

The government’s allocation for women protection schemes, under the Mission Shakti schemes that include Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Women Helpline, One Stop Crisis Centre as well as Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana went up from Rs 562s crore in 2023-24 to Rs 629 crores to 2024-25.