By IANS,
New Delhi : The promise of enrolling 50 percent rural women in self-help groups and an increased allocation of Rs.500 crore (Rs.5 billion) for the Rashtriya Mahila Kosh in the budget announced Monday has been welcomed by the development sector. But many are critical of the implementation of existing schemes.
“Though the announcements for social sector allocations and targets of expanding welfare schemes are a welcome development, yet it is critical that to make these effective poor people must organise in whatever possible way under the right to freedom of association,” said Babu Matthew, country director of ActionAid, an international anti-poverty agency.
“There is perhaps no other country in the world which guarantees so many human rights, including economic, social and cultural ones. Yet, while we have a large number of pro-people policies there is very poor implementation and it’s only when people demand, advocate and make their voices heard will grounding of rights begin to materialise in proportion to the efforts put in,” Matthew told IANS.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday announced that the total allocation for the Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, which works towards credit support to poor women for innovative schemes, will be increased from Rs.100 crore to Rs.500 crore.
Another highlight of the budget was that all services under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) will be made available to all children under the age of six by March 2012.
Also, the National Mission for Female Literacy will aim at reducing female illiteracy by half in three years.
Said Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath: “They have increased tax exemption limit for women by Rs.10,000 – I am little satisfied with this. Even allocation on female literacy and ICDS has been increased.”
“However, I expected more (from the budget). I had made other requests that I can’t share now – I wrote to the prime minister about those but it was not accommodated in this budget. Let’s see maybe the budget six months later will incorporate it,” Tirath told IANS.
Said Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Science and Research and NGO Women Power Connect: “As far as the budgetary allocation for women and the social sector is concerned, it has gone up and we welcome the move. It has also been attempted to increase the direct reach and benefit towards rural women.”
“Having said that, without an overall perspective and change in policies, the budget is a mild effort. More needs to be done,” Kumari told IANS.