A union of anganwadi workers has called for a protest against the “failure” of the Union Budget in meeting their demands for higher allocation for nutrition and minimum wages instead of honorarium.
The All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers has urged all scheme workers to organize protests, including gherao of NDA MPs, in the wake of the general strike called by 10 central trade unions on March 24.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman budget speech Also there was no financial pressure in the budgetary allocation for fixed wages of frontline workers, who have seen their workload increase due to COVID-19 related responsibilities or for nutrition, especially as food insecurity has worsened and India has been affected by 116 countries. out of 101st. Hunger Index.
Minister announced Upgradation of two lakh Anganwadis With “better infrastructure and audio-visual aids”, but the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s ‘Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0’ scheme, under which these works would be carried out, got a negligible growth of 0.7%. The scheme received an allocation of ₹ 20,263.07 crore. Schemes that focus on women’s safety under the ministry such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, One Stop Centre, Nari Adalat, Mahila Police Volunteer and Mahila Helpline saw a drop in allocation from ₹587 crore to ₹562 crore.
The budget of the Ministry of Women and Child Development as part of the total expenditure has also come down from 0.70% to 0.63%, The ministry received an allocation of ₹25,172.28 crore – an increase of 3% from last year’s budgeted estimate of ₹24,435 crore.
The gender budget, which includes schemes for women in various ministries, has shrunk further this year, reducing its share of total expenditure from 4.4% to 4.3% for the fiscal year 2023 to ₹1,71,006.47 crore. It has come down from 0.71% of GDP in the revised estimates of 2021-22 to 0.66% of GDP in the budgeted estimates for 2022-2023.
The use of the word woman in the budget speech
There was nothing new in Ms Sitharaman’s budget speech for women who had no new plans or initiatives announced. The word female appeared only six times in his speech.
“About 91% increase in total gender budget over last year from Part B schemes” [which are only 30% specific to women], There has been a very modest increase in the Part A total, with schemes that we certainly know for women, at least most of them,” said Shruti Ambast, senior policy analyst, Center for Budget and Governance Accountability, .
“Women are a large number of beneficiaries in schemes including MGNREGA, National Social Assistance Program and schemes for the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities and other weaker sections. The combined expenditure on these schemes has come down from 3.2 per cent of the total revised expenditure in 2021-22 to 2.5 per cent in the budget allocation in 2022-2023. This shows that there is no place for women in the vision of ‘Amrit Kaal’ of the government.”
Other demands of the women’s movement such as financial commitment to set up anti-sexual harassment committees for working women in the informal sector, crches in all cities, working women’s hostels, special old age pension scheme for women have been swept away. Carpet, Maya John, coordinator, Center for Struggling Women, said.
,