Gender budget increases by nearly 40 percent

Local public for added focus on health and education

Guwahati: The Union Budget has made a substantial increase in the gender budget in seven major ministries this year. 

There is a 38.6 percent increase in the gender budget that will benefit women and girls. Of this, 87 percent is owing to increases in budgets of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and Department of Rural Development.

Most of these ministries have a footprint in the northeast.

With security issues and conflict, the MHA always has Northeast in its consideration. Assam is the birthplace of oil exploration, and the increase in the petroleum ministry gender budget could benefit the state and region. Except for electronics, all other ministries have a direct bearing on the region.

As per the Press Information Bureau, around 43 ministries/departments/union territories have reported a total of Rs. 3 lakh crore in the Gender Budget Statement as compared to Rs. 2.23 lakh crore in 2023-24. The quantum of gender budget reported in GBS 2024-25 is 38.6 percent more than budget estimates of 2023-24. The share of the Gender Budget in the total budget increased to 6.5 percent in 2024-25 from 5 percent in 2023-24.

“It is a balanced budget prioritizing four vital sections of the economy such as the poor, women, youth, and farmers”, said Deputy Director of Spices Board, India  Dr. Dwijendra Mohan Barman.

“I think it is a positive budget, the government announced the withdrawal of outstanding direct tax demands up to Rs 25,000 pertaining to the period up to the financial year 2009-10 and up to Rs. 10,000 for 2010-11 to 2014-15. The move is expected to benefit about 10 million taxpayers. But priority should have been on health and education budget as well, reduction of health and education budget does not reflect a positive thought process” said Subhankar Banerjee, an entrepreneur.

Rhituparna Das Borah, a citizen from Guwahati, however, claimed that the budget is election-oriented and there is nothing for the poor, women, or the youth. "It has undoubtedly and unarguably poured cold water on the expectations of the common man and failed to give any vision to the general public," she said.

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