Economic Highlights

New Delhi, 12 March 2011

Budget Ignores Women

FUDGED GDP GROWTH FIGURES?

By Shivaji Sarkar

If half of the population – the women – are ignored, can the nation progress? The Union Budget seemingly believes this and has ignored the interests of women. Despite a compounded over 15 per cent inflation during the last two years, allocations for women as a proportion of the total budget outlay has registered only a marginal increase from last year’s 6.1 to 6.2 per cent this year.

It has only one new scheme, a corpus of Rs 500 crore for women self-help groups. Doubling the honorarium of anganwadi workers to Rs 3000 and assistants to Rs 1500 is being projected as an enormous largesse. As the Government shies of calling it wages lest it is sued under the Minimum Wages Act. Notwithstanding, these low-paid workers are making significant contributions but are expected to work on below subsistence wages.

The critical factor is that the Women and Child Developmen (WCD) Ministry is saddled with Rs 3000 crore additional expenditure to pay the hiked honorarium without a budgetary provision. Worse, the health worker has been ignored and is expected to continue with virtually on no honorarium! Her functioning as community health activist includes counselling women and children, arrange an escort and accompany them to primary health centres and develop a comprehensive village health plan for the gram panchayat.

She is also expected to act as a “depot” for providing some basic drugs and formulations like oral rehydration therapy, other basic medicines and condoms. Shockingly, function on no compensation for travel expenses and a measly DA. What an inexpensive way to improve the health status of villagers! Or is it officially sanctioned exploitation?

The Centre for Budget and Governance Allocation’s Executive Director Subrata Das says that of the 60 women specific schemes only 11 have been given Rs 100 crore. The rest of the 49 schemes have been given less than Rs 100 crore. In many cases, the allocations are a mere token. Only rural family welfare and Indira Awas have been allocated Rs 1000 crore.  Several other schemes have seen reduction or marginal increases that inflation would neutralise.

Further, implementation of major schemes has suffered because of under-utilization of funds. These include the Swayamsiddha to empower women; Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, a programme that provides funding for women self-help groups, and a scheme to provide relief to and rehabilitation of rape victims.

The National Advisory Council (NAC) Member A K Shiv Kumar while slamming the Budget at a UN-sponsored discussion said that the Prime Minister’s Nutrition Council had recommended to the WCD Ministry to formulate an ambitious blueprint for special focus on nutrition in 200 high burden areas. But there was no indication in the Budget about where the funds would come from. Adding, “Budgets are not supposed to be sensational. This one is not. But they can be visionary and inspirational. This one is not”.

The rural water supply scheme that is important for a better health status has got funds of Rs 8415 crore against Rs 8100 crore last year. Similarly sanitation has got only Rs 1485 crore against Rs 1422 crore last year. Women’s groups consider this as compromising with the physical security of women apart from the increased health risks.

Also, of late, there is a propaganda on gender budgeting. But a scrutiny shows it stagnating since 2007. The Budget is not being formulated with the women in focus. The gender budgeting statement is developed as a post-Budgetary exercise just to fulfil an official requirement. The critical sectors like drinking water, sanitation, urban development, labour and employment, law and justice, road transport and highways and industrial policy and promotion do not have any intervention to mark any uplift for women and children.

Reduction in food subsidy to Rs 60573 crore from Rs 60600 crore signifies a process of denying benefits to women. Such cuts affect women more. Though the Government has not given any subsidy on petroleum, even in its token allocation it has reduced that. There is ominous silence on petroleum taxes.

The Government has got windfall tax gains from global crude price increases. The net revenue increase is Rs 100,000 crore as petroleum contributes one-third of the projected gain. Not only does it spurt prices but also affects woman the most. The higher the commodity prices, less is the consumption by women. They even compromise on their food intake.

Undoubtedly, women suffer more as agriculture continues to be in crisis. The Government’s assessment of higher production is possibly away from reality. The statistical jugglery is possible as the previous year’s base was low. Farming is also becoming less remunerative. Suicide by farmers is continuing and now even reports are coming from better off States like Gujarat and West Bengal. Even celebrated Kalavati’s son-in-law has committed suicide in Maharashtra, a month before the presentation of the Budget.

The numbers are stark. According to The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data 2009, more than 216,000 farmers have killed themselves since 1997. Add the figures for 1995, 1996 and 2010 and the total crosses 250,000. That is, two farmers a day for the past 15 years.

Sadly, women are in a worse situation as they are not even recognised as farmers. Think. The Budget ignored the plight of farmers and their families. Despite the fact that agriculture is in deep crisis, the allocation for the sector has come down.

Another critical aspect, health, has again been sorely neglected. Budgetary provisions continue to hover at one per cent of the GDP rather than the projected 3 per cent. The only silver lining is the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), which has helped women significantly. It has been given Rs 26,000 crore.

However, health services, even those provided to RSBY beneficiaries, have been made expensive by the levying of service tax on all hospitals and diagnostic services. The RSBY insurers have noted that RSBY benefits the women most thus an increase in the service tax would ultimately cause reduction in the benefits. Worse, women and children are also affected as taxes on pencils and stationeries have been increased. It would cut into home budgets of school-going children’s families.

All in all, most of these provisions would impact the growth process. Consequently the job scenario, which had marginally improved, is likely to turn critical. The GDP growth figures are suspect and possibly manufactured to present a politically “correct” scenario as five States are in election mode. ---- INFA

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