The Kerala government has reinstated gender budgeting in the 2017-18 Budget, which has placed a special focus on women’s safety, in the light of widespread incidence of gender-based violence in the State.
Overall, 11.5% of the total Plan outlay has been allocated for the development and welfare of women.
Though women have moved from the kitchen to the centre stage, atrocities plague them even there, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said at the Budget presentation on Friday.
The Budget has earmarked ₹68 crore for schemes related to the prevention of atrocities against women, including ₹12 crore for pink control rooms and self-defence training, ₹34 crore for awareness campaigns and ₹19.5 crore for shelter homes, short-stay homes and one-stop crisis centres, and ₹3 crore for two SOS model homes.
A special fund, for which ₹5 crore has been set aside, will be formed for the speedy protection and rehabilitation of victims of gender-based violence.
Solely for women
The gender budget statement contains two parts, of which part A comprises a scheme devoted solely to female beneficiaries. This includes 64 schemes for which a sum of ₹1,060.5 crore has been allocated, comprising 5.23% of the total outlay of State schemes, exclusive of local schemes.
Under part B, which includes general development schemes, ₹1,266 crore or 6.25%, has been identified as the allocation for women out of a total allocation of ₹13,400 crore for 104 schemes.
A specific department for women, proposed earlier, will become operational from 2017-18.
All women-related schemes under the Department of Social Justice will be shifted to the new department.
Skill development, employment generation and job security are other areas of emphasis, with a total outlay of ₹506 crore for related schemes.
An amount of ₹34 crore has also been allocated for setting up creches, rest rooms, toilets and women’s hostels to complement these schemes.
For transgenders
The Women’s Development Corporation has been allocated ₹8 crore, and an amount of ₹11 crore has been earmarked for gender parks.
An additional sum of ₹10 crore has been allocated for pension, health care, and educational schemes for the transgender community.
