By IANS
Patna : The Bihar government Thursday presented a gender sensitive budget in the assembly for 2008-09, with special focus on the socio-economic development of women.
Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi presented the budget in which the state government has earmarked special funds for various women empowerment schemes and educational scholarships.
Modi, who holds the charge of finance minister, said 15 percent of the total budgetary allocations for 10 departments was earmarked for the empowerment of women in the state.
“It was a new beginning for the empowerment of women by the state government after 50 percent reservation in local bodies elections and recruitment of teachers,” Modi told newspersons here after presenting the budget.
He said areas were identified to improve the quality of life of women and 100 percent provision has been earmarked for them in Mahila Vidyalaya, Chief Minister’s Kanya Vivah Scheme, Naari Shakti Yojana, Kanya Suraksha Yojana and Indira Award Yojana.
He said 30 percent provision has been earmarked for women in scholarships and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
Modi said women, who constitute 50 percent of the total population in the state, were lagging far behind in all human development indicators. The gender ratio in Bihar was 921 women against thousand men.
The population of women was 39.7 million against 43.2 million of men. Women literacy rate is just more than half of men. Only 50 percent of women are literate.
The state government has made a provision of Rs.22.48 billion for the 10 key social sector departments as total provisions of Rs.149.57 billion for the next fiscal, he said.
Modi said Rs.720 million has been provided for Chief Minister’s Balika Poshak Yojana, Rs.421.4 million for Balika Cycle Scheme, Rs.200 million for Kanya Vivah Scheme, Rs.260 million for Kanya Suraksha Yojana and Rs.225 million for Nari Shakti Yojana.
Besides this, the government has earmarked Rs.51.5 million for Swaymsidha, Rs.539 million for Lakshmi Bal Social Security Scheme, Rs.138 million for National Programme for Adolescent Girls, Rs.1 billion for supplementary nutrition, Rs.4.9 billion for Indira Awas Yojana and Rs.144.5 million for Dular Strategy.
Modi also said that the government would invest Rs.14 million for establishing a new ITI for women.