THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the government on the back foot after the assault on leading film star, a dose of ‘Gender Budget’ could perhaps pull things back a bit. Finance minister Dr T.M. Thomas Isaac, for the first time ever, will place a ‘gender document’ in the Assembly along with the budget papers. The ‘gender document’ will list two things: one, schemes where women are sole beneficiaries and two, schemes where more than 60 per cent of the benefits go to women. The objective, an official source said, is to increase plan funds earmarked exclusively for women to 15 per cent. All major departments, including KSRTC, KSEB, PWD and Police, have submitted their gender specific projects and schemes.
As of now, plan funds for women constitute just below 10 per cent. In fact, gender budgeting was first introduced by Dr Isaac himself in 2010-11, the centenary year of International Women’s Day. Isaac had then scaled up the share of women-specific schemes to 8.5 percent. In 2009-10, it was only 5.6 per cent. “Major infrastructure departments like PWD, KSEB, KSRTC and ports were asked to come up with projects sensitive to women’s needs,” said a top Planning Board official. According to the source, KSRTC mooted women restrooms, more toilets, women-only services and more aisle space and low holding straps inside buses.
The Police Department suggested women cells in stations, in night patrols, and gender sensitization of staff. PWD has come up with the idea of women-friendly buildings where the corridors will be broader and well lighted and toilets and spaces specifically for women. The Ports Department suggested night shelter and toilets for women in harbours. Isaac’s plans to raise capital investment in a big way, too, will be devised in such a way that women are benefited. “Such every day needs of women are taken for granted or we don’t think of them. But with women presence in the work force increasing we need to allocate resources in a way that would address gender needs better,” the Planning Board official said.
