State to have gender budget showing funds for women’s welfare

Jagan unveils initiative to mark Women’s Day, says it’s a step towards addressing issues of inequality

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said Andhra Pradesh would become the first State to come up with a gender budget this year which will clearly list out the expenditure on schemes meant for welfare of women.

Participating in the International Women’s Day celebrations at his camp office on Monday, the Chief Minister said the gender budget would be a significant step towards sorting out issues of inequality, thereby ensuring that the benefits of development reached women as much as men.

He said the government introduced various schemes for the welfare of women, including Amma Vodi, YSR Cheyuta, YSR Asara and Kapu Nestham, on which ₹80,000 crore has been spent in 21 months. Besides, the government provided 50% reservation to women in all nominated posts and nominated works.

Panels to check harassment

Committees were being set up to check harassment of women at workplaces both in government and private institutions starting with one such panel at the Secretariat.

The Chief Minister said only 60% of women are literate in the State according to the 2011 Census. In order to resolve this and lower the burden of quality education, the government introduced Jagananna Amma Vodi scheme and spent about ₹13,022 crore in two years and would be providing ₹32,500 crore in five years benefiting over 44.50 lakh mothers and 85 lakh students.

Through YSR Aasara, 87.75 lakh self-help group women were given ₹6,792 crore in 21 months while 24.56 lakh women aged between 45 and 60 years were given ₹4,604 crore under YSR Cheyutha scheme.

Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said Disha police stations were established in each district to crack down on those committing crime against women. Crimes against women have dropped by 7.50% in 2020 compared with 2019. So far, chargesheets were filed in 563 offences within seven days of the incidents. Casual leaves for women have been increased to 20 from 15.

Help desks

Earlier, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy virtually inaugurated women help desks and cyber kiosks in police stations across the State, launched Swechha programme intended to create awareness on menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls and flagged off a fleet of 900 Disha patrolling vehicles and 18 Disha crime scene management vehicles.

Ministers Mekatoti Sucharitha (Home) and Thaneti Vanitha (Women and Child Welfare), women’s commission Chairperson Vasireddy Padma, Chief Secretary Adityanath Das and DGP Gautam Sawang were among those present.