'Gender budgeting' gets lukewarm response

With election fever on the rise, political parties are all out to put their best foot forward in terms of promises made to the electorates. In spite of shower of promises, the political parties seem to have a very lukewarm response to the subject of ‘gender budgeting’.

This comes in the backdrop of 50% of the seats in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) being reserved for the fairer sex.

Gender budgeting, which broadly means adequate financial provisions for women, is considered an important tool towards gender equity.

Noted economist Sulabha Brahme questioned unless money is allocated for projects and programmes for women how are the announcements helpful.

“Most of the allocations are for roads and flyovers. The good roads are dug and re-made. The footpaths in good condition are renewed. We cater to the automobile and construction industries while women get last preference. Where is gender budgeting?” she asked.

When asked about the stand of Congress on gender budgeting, the party corporator Sangita Tiwari said they stand for women welfare but was not sure whether it would appear on the agenda.

“We will look into gender budgeting,” was all that she said. Their manifesto is yet to come.

Nationalist Congress Party’s agenda talks about policies for health, education, economic development and security for women. MP Supriya Sule has been quoted in the manifesto saying that NCP will ensure women’s participation in development. They are also talking about empowering women self-help groups.

There is also mention of encouraging public participation in budget but the issue of ensuring financial allocation for women has not been listed in the manifesto.

BJP corporator Mukta Tilak strongly supported gender budgeting and said that the PMC has failed to incorporate it in its budget.

“In the PMC’s budget, money has been allocated for care of animals in the zoo under the gender budgeting. This is evident of the ignorance about the concept. BJP would insist on special allocations for all the schemes and projects for women,” she said.

Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe said her party has always supported gender budgeting. When Shiv Sena leader in PMC, Sham Deshpande was heading the standing committee in PMC, he had ensured that more than Rs5 crore were allocated for women-centred schemes in the budget for 2008-09, said Gorhe. But when corporators from opposition took over the post they ensured that these schemes suffer, she alleged. She said this would be important issue on Shiv Sena’s agenda.

Founder of Pune Nagrik Sanghatana, Vivek Velankar, said it would take some time before their stand on the issue is clear.