Govt working on uniform guidelines for gender budgeting, audit

The Ministry is in the process of promoting gender audit of all policy, programmes and schemes, and a detailed guideline and institutional mechanism preferably within the CAG for the same is being worked out, a top official said.

Addressing the participants of the two-day conference on Gender Budgeting, Ministry Secretary Neela Gangadharan said this would throw light on the gaps in conceptualization, implementation and targeting of beneficiaries.

She said that it was therefore all the more important that the planning and budgeting mechanisms are improved and made more outcome oriented with a view to target and benefit more women.

She, however, expressed concern about the availability of sex disaggregated data, which remains a major challenge.

This has also been an obstacle in the way of gender analysis of programmes and schemes, the official said.

There is thus the need for a change in the data collection mechanisms of all ministries and departments with respect to their schemes for better reporting on gender issues, the secretary noted.

She stated that it was important that the process of gender budgeting in internalised and prioritised within the various ministries and departments of the Government.

The conference was organised by the Ministry in collaboration with National Gender Centre, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.