Maharashtra State Commission for Women

1. Maharashtra State Commission for Women By Shomita Biswas

2. Introduction • Gender Responsive Budgeting is a methodology to assist the Government to integrate a gender perspective into the budget for public expenditure. • The budget has direct impact on women’s lives in several ways. • To mainstream the gender perspective we have to make provisions in government programme for various schemes and activities. Thus, making only policies is insufficient to institutionalize the gender budgeting.

3. Background • In Maharashtra the first workshop for middle level officer was conducted in Pune on 7th & 8th Oct, 2010 in Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management, Pune. • Second session was organized for Additional Chief Secretaries / Principle Secretaries / Secretaries on Gender Budgeting was jointly organized by Maharshtra State Commission for Women and Vaikunth Mehta Institute on 25th Feb 2011 at Sahayadri Guest House, Mumbai.

4. Participation • Additional Chief Secretaries • Principle Secretaries • Secretaries Sessions. • Concept of Gender Budgeting- by Shomita Biswas, Member Secretary, MASCOW • First session : Gender Responsive Budgeting – Smt. Asha Kapoor Mehta, IIPA, New Delhi. • Second session: Tools for Gender Budgeting – Smt. Benita Sharma (Gender Specialist) • Third session: Suggestions given by various departments.

5. Objectives • Comprehend gender budgeting related concepts & tools. • Cross learn & discuss gender related issues. • Incorporate gender budgeting in their programmes & policies.

6. Process 1. Situational analysis of women and men in a given sectors (you might come across few common needs and different needs especially for women) which needs to address. 2. An assessment of the sector’s policy needs to address the gender issues and few gaps to be identified. Based on that, the relevant policies, legislation, programmes and schemes need to be changed. 3. Adequate budget allocations provision to be made. 4. With regular interval monitored the allocated funds has been spend or not. This involves checking both financial performance and the physical deliverables. 5. To assess the impact of the policy/programme/scheme that will make difference to the life of targeted groups in the direction of gender equality.

7. Recommendations • Sex segregated data should be maintained by each department at the state level and Planning & Finance Department will centrally coordinate; monitor this data with the help of Statistical Department • Maharashtra should also start preparing Gender Budgeting. • The Gender Gaps (if any) identified the intensive strategy with outcome goals need to be worked out by each department.

8. Gender Budget has identified generally with an analysis of financial allocations of government funds while it is obvious that to understand that one has to go beyond the numbers. Physical outcome need to be discussed in detail at regular intervals, quarterly or half yearly by Planning / Finance Department. • Initially set up the Gender Budget Cell with the Finance & Planning Dept. at the state level. The Charter for Gender Budget cells issued by the Ministry of Finance may be taken into account. GBC is to be headed by an officer not less than the level of a Joint Secretary with other senior/ middle level officers from Plan, Policy, Coordination, Budget and Accounts division.

9. Out puts • A Gender Budgeting Cell has also been formed under the Planning Department.

10. Ways Forward…. • This workshop helped in developing common understanding on gender budgeting and it was shared that such orientations are required for Government officials with regular intervals and government should make separate provisions for the same.

11. “All issues are women’s issues & women’s issues are everyone's issues……” Thank You.