A budget never treats men and women equally. Its spending touches each group differently.
Gender budgeting makes public money work for women. India has used this tool since 2005.
Must Know
What Gender Budgeting Requires
What gender budgeting is
- DefinitionGender budgeting applies a gender lens to budget planning, allocation and review.
- LensIt asks how each rupee of tax and spending affects men and women.
- GoalIt aims to close gaps in income, work and well-being between the sexes.
- ScopeIt covers revenue, expenditure and every stage of the budget cycle.
The core requirements
- WillA firm political commitment must back the whole gender-budget exercise.
- DataGender-disaggregated data is the raw material for all gender budgeting.
- CellsEvery ministry should run a Gender Budget Cell for its own schemes.
- ImpactSchemes need a gender impact assessment before and after rollout.
- AuditRegular gender audits must check whether money really reached women.
- VoiceCivil society and women’s groups must join planning and review.
The two-part classification
- Part APart A covers schemes where the full 100% allocation is women-specific.
- Part BPart B lists pro-women schemes where 30-99% of funds benefit women.
- StatementThese two parts form the Gender Budget Statement of the Union Budget.
- ShareOnly the Part A share counts as truly women-specific spending.
The institutions behind it
- CellThe Finance Ministry set up its Gender Budget Cell in 2005-06.
- SpreadMost ministries and departments now run their own gender budget cells.
- StatementThe statement is published with the Expenditure Budget each year.
- OversightParliament and civil society use it to track women’s allocations.
Good to Know
India’s Gender Budgeting Journey
Milestones since 2005
- StartIndia presented its first Gender Budget Statement in 2005-06.
- CellThe Ministry of Finance created its Gender Budget Cell the same year.
- StatesKerala became the first state to adopt gender budgeting in 2009-10.
- ScaleMany states now prepare their own gender budget documents.
The rising allocation
- FY2024-25The gender budget stood at about Rs 3.27 lakh crore in FY2024-25.
- FY2025-26It rose to Rs 4.49 lakh crore, about 8.9% of total spending.
- FY2026-27The latest statement allocates Rs 5.01 lakh crore, up 11.55%.
- TrendThe gender budget share of total spending keeps climbing.
Flagship schemes with a women focus
- Mission ShaktiMission Shakti protects and empowers women across the country.
- UjjwalaPM Ujjwala gave clean cooking gas to millions of women-headed homes.
- AwaasPM Awaas Yojana registers houses in women’s names wherever possible.
- Lakhpati DidiThe Lakhpati Didi scheme pushes rural women’s incomes higher.
- MGNREGAWomen form more than half the workers on MGNREGA job sites.
The global context
- FirstAustralia introduced gender budgeting as early as 1984.
- SpreadAround a hundred countries now run some form of gender budgeting.
- SDG 5Gender budgeting directly serves Sustainable Development Goal 5.
Test Yourself
Great to Know
Limits and the Way Forward
What still holds India back
- ShareThe gender budget remains a small slice of total Union spending.
- Part AThe truly women-specific Part A share stays a small fraction of the budget.
- DataPoor gender-disaggregated data weakens planning in many sectors.
- CellsMany ministry gender budget cells exist only on paper.
- StatesAdoption remains uneven across states and local bodies.
- AuditGender audit is weak and rarely leads to corrective action.
How to strengthen gender budgeting
- OutcomesLink every allocation to a measurable outcome for women.
- DataBuild a strong gender data ecosystem across all ministries.
- AuditMake gender audit a routine part of public audit practice.
- LocalExtend gender budgeting to states, districts and panchayats.
- CapacityTrain officers in gender-responsive budgeting techniques.
- OversightGive Parliament and civil society stronger review powers.
CA
📈 Current Affairs
Gender budgeting stayed in the news through 2025-26. The Union Budget and a ministry reorganisation drove the updates.
Gender budget rises to Rs 5.01 lakh crore in FY2026-27
- Allocation The Gender Budget Statement for FY2026-27 allocates Rs 5.01 lakh crore for the welfare of women and girls. Source: PIB — Ministry of Finance.
Gender budget allocation grows 11.55% in a year
- Growth This is an 11.55% rise over the Rs 4.49 lakh crore of FY2025-26. Source: PIB — Gender Budget Allocations 2025-26.
Women Empowerment becomes a separate department
- Reorganisation In June 2024 the Cabinet split the Women and Child Development Ministry into two departments. The Department of Women Empowerment and the Department of Child Development now work under the same ministry. Source: Ministry of Women and Child Development.
PYQ
Previous Year Questions
UPSC CSM 2016 GS Paper III, Q2
- UPSC 2016UPSC CSM 2016 GS Paper III, Q2 — View this question
- AskThe question links women empowerment to gender budgeting as a tool.
- PlanDefine gender budgeting, list its requirements, then assess India’s status.
- TipQuote the latest gender budget figures and one state example for marks.
📚 Related Articles
Beyond the answer
Browse all indian-economy topics →
📚 Keep reading
IndEco0023 — Budget Objectives, Types and Federal BudgetingIndEco0022 — Budget Process and Documents in IndiaGK0038 — Women's Sports in IndiaIndGov0004 — Welfare Laws and Schemes for WomenIndEco0074 — Gender and Development❓ Practice this topic
In which year was G.D. Naidu, the "Edison of India," born?Azim Premji's personal fortune fell sharply as he transferred Wipro shares to his Foundation. Roughly what did it fall from and to?In what year did Vikram Akula found Swayam Krishi Sangam (SKS), the precursor to SKS Microfinance?The Employees' State Insurance Act came into force on 19 April 1948. The scheme it created was actually launched on a later date. When?🎲 Take a Indian Economy Quiz
Leave a Reply