Transgenders now beneficiaries under State-run social schemes

Members of community included in 3 categories under new gender budget norms

September 10, 2019 01:47 am | Updated 01:47 am IST - Mumbai

Gaining acceptance:  Transgenders will now be eligible to avail of benefits under State government schemes that provide scholarship, housing and livelihood.

Gaining acceptance: Transgenders will now be eligible to avail of benefits under State government schemes that provide scholarship, housing and livelihood.

The Maharashtra government’s new budget norms have identified transgenders as potential beneficiaries for receiving direct benefit transfer under State-run social schemes. Under the new gender budget norms released on Monday, transgenders have been included in three different categories — A-1, A-2, and B — of direct and indirect expenditure under the annual budget.

With the release of the new norms, the State has moved closer to the goal of publishing an annual gender budget statement and a separate child budget from 2020-21, officials said. “Our government is keen on institutionalising child and gender budgeting in the State. It will help in recognising the needs of women and children, and accordingly allocate budgets for them,” said State Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar after releasing the new norms in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund and UN Women.

The A-1 category for “100% direct expenditure on women/girls/transgenders” will cover schemes related to “provisions of free bicycles, maternity benefits, support to self-help group”, among others. The A-2 category — with less than 100% direct expenditure — includes schemes related to scholarship, housing and livelihood. According to the norms, “the expenditure under these schemes is partially for women/girls/transgender persons and the reporting in GBS [gender-based schemes] should be based on sex-disaggregated beneficiary data.” The B category will include indirect expenditure for transgenders in intangibly targeted schemes, where beneficiaries cannot be counted. This includes schemes for building roads and bridges, and allocation of incentives for vasectomy.

The State government had identified child and gender budgeting as key strategies in the State Policy for Children 2014 and the State Policy for Women 2014. Based on the policies, the Department of Planning publishes an annual statement known as the GN7, which provides allocations for women and child development. The new changes will reflect in the GN7, which is auto-generated from the Maharashtra Plan Scheme Information Management System. Officials said the GN7 categorisation forms the basis of entries made by departments for each of their schemes.

Tackling key issues

Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta said, “Using mechanisms of gender and child budgeting in this context will help us take stock of their current needs, and prioritise programmes and budgets for women and children in drought-affected areas. Issues like child malnutrition and child marriage have plagued the State and can be tackled in a more focussed manner by adopting the practical approaches that have been described in this new publication.”

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