- Over 40 government ministries failed to spend funds earmarked for 92 women-specific schemes in 2023-24
- Rs 1,100 crore earmarked under these schemes went waste, says the CAG
- The Rs 40 crore meant for the Shubhlakshmi Yojana, the birth and education of girl children, also remained unspent
More than 40 government departments failed to spend the funds provided for 92 schemes that focused on gender in 2023-24, restricting benefits for women and girl children.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) stated that Rs 1,100 crore allocated for these schemes went untouched.
Under the Shubhlakshmi Yojana, under which girls' birth and education are supported, the entire Rs 40 crore earmarked for 2023-24 went unused.
In the same vein, Rs 25 crore for the Rajiv Gandhi Kishori Girls Empowerment scheme from ICDS, Rs 10 crore for Nari Niketan Bhawan under the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, and Rs 29 crore for the PG Institute of Maternity and Neonatology went unused.
Gender budgeting was implemented to advance the welfare of women, and the nodal agency was the Women Empowerment Department. The CAG report observed that the government made token provisions for the various schemes and surrendered the entire allocation without enhancing funding.
The Shubhlakshmi Yojana is a government programme that advocates for the birth of female children, their education, and overall well-being and empowerment from early childhood.
Under the scheme, families will receive funds to facilitate the birth of female children and educational investment for their future at the birth of each female child, while at the same time attempting to reduce gender disadvantage.
This programme fits in a dispute to improve women's health, education, and status to improve gender disparity and develop communities that are gender equal and empowered.
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