GENDER BUDGET 2019-20 Part A and Part B and CHILD BUDGET 2019-20 FOREWORD Kerala has been attempting to Âmainstreaming genderÊ in the feminist sense of transformation of society through Gender Budgeting as an integral part of the planning process, with a much more expansive view on womenÊs lives and roles they play not only in terms of their potential as paid workers but more importantly through their ÂinvisibilisedÊ, unpaid work in social reproduction. Hence planning for women has to bring together work, household, marriage, control over assets, political voice, gender based violence in its quest for greater gender equality. The allocations for women have increased from 11.7 percent in 2017-18 to 14.6 percent in 2018-19 both in women specific schemes and in composite schemes. The year 2018-19 has been a stressed year for the Government with the heavy rainfall and floods in August 2018 and landslides in hilly areas which caused massive damage to peopleÊs livelihoods, housing and destroyed essential infrastructure like roads, electricity and public buildings. Needless to state it took a heavy toll on the stateÊs finances. However, it is interesting to note how by restructuring priorities and using discretion on the use of minimal additional resources available, the planning machinery including all Departments geared itself to preparing the Annual Plan for 2019-20 with the objective of post-disaster livelihood and infrastructure restoration keeping in mind the need to build a new and better Kerala. Since women play a crucial role in post-disaster management and restoration, despite the resource constraints, a conscious effort was made to integrate gender concerns and needs into the 2019-20 Budget, a major effort being to enhance their livelihoods and employment opportunities, and providing an enabling environment for them to come out of the household to work. Gender Budgeting has to also consciously provide resources to guard against extant discriminatory and obscurantist practices through innovative ideas, which will help us in taking our goal of gender equality forward. Allocations to women for 2019-20 have gone up to 16.9 percent; however, it is more important now to take stock of how these schemes in the gender budget have played out on the ground. Hence we plan to present a Statement on the Financial Performance of the Gender Budget schemes in 2018-19 together with a gender audit of major schemes by the beginning of the next financial year. The Child Budget is also presented for 2019-20 which shows a small decline from 8.2 percent in 2018-19 to 7.7 percent. This exercise of Gender Budget and Child Budget for 2019-20 has been undertaken by a team in the State Planning Board, led by Dr. Mridul Eapen, who would like to acknowledge the help rendered by Dr. Subrat Das, Executive Director, Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), New Delhi. Dr.TM Thomas Isaac Minister for Finance and Coir CONTENTS Pages 1 The Backdrop 1-2 2 Gender Budget Estimates 3 (Summary Statement) 3 Highlights of the Gender Budget 2019 -20 4-6 4 Gender Budget Statement Part A 7-11 5 Gender Budget Statement Part B 12 -18 6 Explanatory Notes on Schemes in Part B 19 -21 7 Child Budget 22 -29 1. The Backdrop Given the unprecedented floods/landslides in August 2018, the year 2018-19 has been a year of austerity and of redirecting funds towards restoration of livelihoods and infrastructure lost in the disaster. It is generally seen that women experience disasters differently and generally worse than males and that this difference is located in the social construction of gender. The inequalities that exist make them more vulnerable not only in terms of its impact but also in terms of their capacity to cope with the disaster. However, viewing them simply as victims only aggravates their vulnerability. They have local knowledge, practical skills, social relationships and above all a strong desire to sustain their households that are critical to post disaster recovery. This Budget sees women as the vanguard of livelihood revival/ rebuilding Kerala initiative. Kerala has been attempting to Âmainstreaming genderÊ in the feminist sense of transformation of society through Gender Budgeting as an integral part of the planning process, with a much more expansive view on womenÊs lives and roles they play not only in terms of their potential as paid workers but more importantly through their ÂinvisibilisedÊ unpaid work in social reproduction and their vulnerability to violence. It is against this backdrop of the critical role women will play in livelihood revival/rebuilding Kerala initiative that the Gender Budget this year, despite resource constraints, focuses on women specific schemes directed towards enhancing their status through a major thrust on employment and livelihoods. More prominent among these is the large expansion envisaged in NREGA employment to quickly restore livelihoods to women, livelihood package of Kudumbashree, enhanced self employment programme of Kerala State WomenÊs Development Corporation, revival of livelihoods of women in the small/medium cashew factories, 1 a substantial increase in Ayyankali urban employment scheme. However, increasingly it appears that without doing away with certain blind beliefs regarding women (in particular that menstruation is polluting and impure) and the socially constructed roles for women with the priority accorded to their household and care work, a redressal of gender-based inequalities will continue to be a struggle. It is in this context that Navothanam Kerala (Kerala Renaissance) the new, major initiative of the government of Kerala assumes significance for women with a massive campaign for creating a gender conscious society, launched on a pan-Kerala scale with the Vanitha Mathil on January 1, 2019. Our second focus in this Budget therefore is the inclusion of a textbook module in the schools on womenÊs rights and struggle against obscurantist practices essential for Navothanam Kerala. This will be supported by other programmes on gender awareness. The third focus is on our continuing attempt of providing an enabling environment for women, much more access to public spaces, encouraging them in sports, swimming, rock climbing. (to be better prepared for disasters), art and culture; safe and secure environment at home, in public places and at workplace and reducing their household and care work through providing basic facilities. The newly constituted Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan at the Centre (Samagra Shiksha Keralam) with the merger of SSA and RMSA has already come out with an innovative programme in Kerala for helping girls to break their shackles and let loose creativity. 2 2. Annual Plan 2019-20: Gender Budget Estimates / Statement (Summary Statement) For 2019-20 the Plan information is as follows: 1.Total State Plan Rs.30610 crs 2.Allocation to Local Bodies Rs.7500 crs 3.Total State Plan minus Local Bodies Rs.23110 crs 4. Percentage allocation to girls/women in 2018-19 14.6 (Rs.3240.33 crs) i. Part A (90-100 % women schemes) 5.7 (Rs.1267.28 crs) ii. Part B (less than 90 % for women schemes) 8.9 (Rs.1973.05 crs) Table 1: Gender Budget Statement: Allocation of Plan/ Budgetary Resources for Girls/Women (with an allocation for TGs) Year Part A Part B Total (90-100 %) (< than 90 %) Allocation of Allocation of Allocation of resources for g/w resources for g/w resources for g/w (Rs.crore) (Rs.crore) (Rs.crore) 2019-20 1421.60 2470.11 3891.71 (6.2) (10.7) (16.9) Note: Part A includes Allocation to programmes for TG persons - Rs 5 crs Source: Annual Plan Proposals 2019-20 and Department level gender disaggregated data, scheme wise 3 3. The Highlights of this Budget I. A very conscious attempt made this time to generate livelihood and employment opportunities for women (in newer areas too) who will play a critical role in restoration and building a new Kerala: 1. Kudumbshree have been allocated an additional Rs.75 crs with a small reduction in last yearÊs allocation. In 2019-20 it is Rs.183.25 cr plus Rs.75 crs. 2. Increase in state share for NREGA by Rs.21 crs so that 10 crore person days of work can be generated compared to 6 crore person days last year- totaling Rs.207.00 cr 3. Fallow land cultivation (Agriculture dept) by Kudumbashree and NREGA Rs.12 crs (95 percent for women). 4. Mussel farming in Inland Fisheries- Rs.78 lakhs. 5. Income support for workers in traditional sectors (allocation increased by Rs.10 crs) so now Rs.80 crs. (90 percent are women- Rs 72 cr for women 6. Revival of small/ medium cashew factories and women's livelihood (new); Rs.12 crs; 95 percent of workers are women-Rs.11.40 crs. 7. E-Autos- a new opportunity of livelihood for women proposed by the Transport dept under E-mobility Promotion Fund; electric autos of which half are proposed for women, i.e Rs.5.98 crs out of a total allocation of Rs.11.97 crs. 8. A hike in funds allocated for self employment schemes of Kerala State WomenÊs Development Corporation from Rs.11 crs to Rs.20 crs with the increase in government guarantee to the Corporation (from a mere Rs. 140 crs between 1988 to 2916, to Rs. 390.56 crores in FY 2016-17 i.e. an additional guarantee of Rs. 250.56 crores. This has incentivized the scheme of the corporation and has helped reach out to a greater number of women folk in the State (i.e; from an yearly average of 3000 to around 6000 per annum) . 9. Substantial allocation for Rehabilitation of Returnee migrants Rs 15 crs (NORKA) for sustainable livelihoods, of which 30 percent or Rs.