Participating in the DD Conclave on Union Budget 2022 (Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Ka Budget) Dr. Nandini Azad, President, Indian Cooperative Network for Women & Working Women’s Forum, made a strong case for gender budgeting and gender mainstreaming in the government scheme of things.
Lauding the govt for a separate budget for cooperatives, Dr. Azad congratulated the Finance Minister on a well-meaning budget for women-led cooperatives. “The Government has allocated 3% increase to the Ministry of Women but theoretically the two prolonged interventions i.e. gender budgeting as well as gender mainstreaming it has come up with are well appreciated”, she underlined.
Reminding the Finance Minister, Union minister, and State Minister for Information & broadcasting, Azad said ICNW leads a mass movement of 6,00,000 women workers through cooperatives in the four states of South India. “As the initiator of the SHG (self-help group) movement, we pioneered financial inclusion for poor women. We are glad to report that today as a poor women’s representative we have been elected in nearly all International Alliances / Unions of Global farmers/cooperatives organizations in the world”, she said in her speech.
“At the Niti Aayog, I have continued to be impressed that livelihood and financial inclusion for poor women are the important factors to raise the immunity during the pandemic. Losing her Rs 300 wages per day, she is rather reluctant to go for the vaccination so, livelihood builds immunity our experience highlights. The immunity in Dharavi or our city slums seems to be greater, Nandini said.
In her speech, Nandini said the budget allocated to the Women / Child Development Ministry stands at Rs 25,000 crore, a slight increase of 3 percent. Linking the Mudra scheme and other schemes with the women is expected to create more opportunities for women, in turn, increase employment and livelihood, known as gender budgets for women but also mainstreaming them as workers, economic inputs of change (not specific women targeting), she stated.
The budget allocated for Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 (Umbrella ICDS – Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyan, Scheme for Adolescent Girls) is Rs 20,263 crore, with a small increase (from Rs 20,105 crore in 2021-22) is a welcome move, she stated.
It is also nice to know that the budget allocated for Mission Shakti (Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women) is Rs 3,184 crore in 2022-23, increased from Rs 3,109 crore in 2021-22. The Anganwadi worker is a protection officer in some states, we must remember important mechanisms against Gender violence.
Two lakh Anganwadis will be upgraded under the SakshamAnganwadis scheme. An all-around powerful focal point in Village for poor women is the Anganwadi for women to be free of child care responsibility with a meal for children, including girls.
Generating demand for enhancing livelihood opportunities for women is critical. The budget on housing, nutrition, electricity, and gas connections would be beneficial to women on a holistic basis. The ‘PM GatiShakti’ highlights the government’s initiative for creating “huge jobs” and entrepreneurial opportunities, especially the youth including young women.
Reforms in agriculture could lead to food and nutrition security and increase private investment in agriculture not only for primary production but also value addition, reduction of food loss and waste including infrastructure improvement and food processing. The ultimate objective remains the prosperity and well-being of farmers, including women.