Discuss the limitations of Gender Budgeting in India as an instrument for achieving gender equality.

Gender Budgeting (or Gender Responsive Budgeting) is an approach that integrates gender concerns into the budgeting process by assessing the impact of government expenditure on gender equity. It seeks to ensure that public resources are allocated to reduce gender disparities across sectors. The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal ministry, while Gender Budget

Statements (GBS) classify schemes into:

• Part A: 100% women-specific schemes.
• Part B: Schemes where 30–99% of benefits accrue to women.
• Part C: Schemes where less than 30% of benefits accrue to women.

Limitations of Gender Budgeting framework:

• No Legal Backing: Gender Budgeting is an administrative exercise without statutory force. Its implementation depends largely on the commitment of individual ministries and political will.
• Focus on Outlays Rather than Outcomes: It records budgetary allocations for women but does not assess whether these expenditures actually improve women's empowerment, economic participation or social outcomes.
• Difficulty in Measuring Benefits: Gender Budgeting works well for women-specific schemes, but estimating women's share in universal schemes is inherently difficult since benefits accrue to households rather than individuals.

E.g., Jal Jeevan Mission, PMGSY and Rural Electrification provide significant indirect benefits to women, but these cannot be accurately quantified.

• Underutilisation of Funds: Allocations under several women-oriented schemes are often not fully utilised, reducing the effectiveness of Gender Budgeting. E.g., Nirbhaya Fund.
• Weak Gender-disaggregated Data: Limited availability of beneficiarywise gender data makes it difficult to evaluate the actual impact of public expenditure on women.

Way Forward:

• Shift from outlay-based to outcome-based gender budgeting by measuring improvements in women's socio-economic indicators.
• Strengthen gender-disaggregated data systems and institutionalise gender impact assessments across ministries.
• Improve utilisation of allocated funds through stronger monitoring and accountability mechanisms.

Gender Budgeting has enhanced the visibility of women's concerns in public finance. However, its success in achieving gender equality will depend on moving beyond expenditure reporting towards measurable improvements in women's socio-economic outcomes.