The Union Budget 2022 was presented on February 1 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s first full-time female finance minister. Presenting it in a digital format, in a house dominated by men, she is perhaps the face of diversity and inclusivity. But how inclusive is the budget?
Several organizations, leaders, and community representatives released their expectations specific to their communities. They voiced requests for tax relaxations and funds, citing the crushing brutality of the recent pandemic.
What women get
Noted female entrepreneurs posted points in the days leading up to the budget. Shreya Sabharwal, Founder and CEO of Squarefork, said that the government should promote women entrepreneurs with tax relaxation and offer funds, helping brands to sustain in these challenging times.
One can see that gender budgeting for the Union Budget 2021-22 was only about 5% of the total budget. A marked hike in gender budgeting for 2022-23 was needed.
The brand new budget addresses gender budgeting in health, education, and employment. As underlined by FM, “Recognizing the importance of ‘Nari Shakti’, three schemes were launched to provide integrated development for women and children.” She pointed out that Mission Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, and Mission Shakti would function under this umbrella to implement positive change. With Rs 3,184 crore allocated for Mission Shakti (Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women), there has been an increase from Rs 3,109 crore in 2021-22.
The focus of this umbrella project is on the health and nutrition of women. One can understand the importance, viewing it against the words of Poshak Agrawal, Co-founder & CEO of Florence Capital: “The pandemic has forced more women to move to casual labor, the figure is 9.3% in January to March 2021 as compared to 7.7% in January to March 2020.”
On the employment front, the finance minister announced that the next target of the union government was to create 60 lakh jobs.
“PM Gati Shakti will pull forward the economy and will lead to more jobs and opportunities for the youth. The government is focused on empowering the youth, women, and the poor in the country,” she said. Gati Shakti is a multi-modal project valued at Rs.100 crore announced by the PM in 2021. The government decided to open Sainik Schools, which traditionally admit only boys, for girls. Sainik Schools prepare students for a career in the armed forces— something girls have wanted to pursue.
How gender inclusive is the budget?
While plans like Gati Sakti and the introduction of a national digital university do not seem gender-specific, making them inclusive lies in the execution of these schemes.
For instance, Devi Kondapi, CEO of MSRcosmos proposed that budget 2022 can introduce additional incentives for employers who support their workforce in upskilling and hiring more women as part of the workforce. “It would create a huge opportunity for increasing women’s participation in the workforce,” she noted.
What it has for people with disabilities
On the disability front, the National Disability Network (NDN) held a Pre-Budget Consultation with experts and listed their expectations from the Union Budget. The need for ‘inclusive budgeting’ is crucial for persons with disabilities. It needs to address specific needs from inclusive data and public accessibility to unhindered livelihood. The NDN wants to ‘build back better’ as they represent one of the worst-hit victims of the pandemic.
Without dealing specifically with these points, the Union budget has eased the financial burden on this community. The Finance Minister also announced tax reductions for disabled people. “The parent or guardian of a person with a disability can take an insurance scheme for such a person”. Safe to say that the expectations are still high for more inclusivity of this front, a potential sphere for more work and focus.
As a thoughtful surprise, the budget has addressed the often overlooked inclusivity niche– mental health. The National Tele Mental Health program is set to launch 23 telehealth mental care centers.
According to projections, the economy is set to grow by 8-8.5% in the fiscal beginning April 1. While the budget nods at inclusivity as it steers growth, more specificity to the varied communities should impact a positive change.
