In the upcoming financial year 2024-25, the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government has provisioned to spend more than 39,000 crores on the comprehensive development of women. Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister, Samrat Choudhary, presented the Gender Budget in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. This budget, constituting 14% of the total budget, will be exclusively directed towards the development of women in the state.
Striving to Mainstream Women
Bihar’s total population includes approximately 4.98 crore women, constituting 48% of the overall population. Historically, women have lagged behind men in areas such as education, health, and economic opportunities. The state government has been preparing the Gender Budget since the financial year 2008-09 with the aim of mainstreaming women.
Empowering Livelihood Groups
Several initiatives have been taken to empower women through this budget. These include strengthening livelihood groups, implementing the ‘Saat Nishchay-2’ initiative for women’s empowerment, providing 35% reservation in government jobs, and introducing 33% reservation in engineering colleges.
Two Categories of Gender Budget
The Gender Budget has been divided into two categories. Category A includes schemes and programs exclusively for women and girls, with 100% of the funds allocated for their welfare. Category B includes programs that contribute to the well-being of women and girls, with allocations ranging from 30% to 99%.
Expenditure on Women and Girls
In the financial year 2018-19, 21,943 crores were spent on women and girls. This increased to 23,039 crores in 2019-20, 22,418 crores in 2020-21, 33,696 crores in 2021-22, and 41,864 crores in 2022-23. The projected expenditure for the next financial year, 2024-25, is 30,034 crores on women.
Government to Spend 55,000 Crores on Child Welfare
Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Samrat Choudhary also presented the Child Welfare Budget for 2024-25 on Wednesday. This budget allocates around 55,000 crores for the comprehensive development of children. The allocated funds will be utilized through various departments to fulfill the objectives of child welfare. The state government has been detailing the Child Welfare Budget since the financial year 2013-14, focusing on educational, health, and safety aspects for children under 18 years of age.”
