The state government has allocated Rs 64,008 crore for gender-specific initiatives for the financial year 2025-26, said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. He was also seeking to allay concerns over the reduced allocation for the government scheme of Ladki Bahin in the annual financial plan.
Pawar, who also holds the position of Finance Minister, said “the gender budget allocation constitutes 8.45% of the total expenditure of the budget,” while he was tabling the gender budget in the assembly.
This is part of the budget that was presented on March 10. It doesn’t mean a separate budget for women.
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The Opposition criticised the ruling government for reducing the allocation for the Maji Ladki Bahin Scheme for women. In July 2024, they had allocated Rs 46,000 crore, and in the latest budget, they only allocated Rs 36,000 crore.
Ajit Pawar said that Rs 1,00,605 crore has been allocated for the child budget, which accounts for 13.28% of the total budget. The overall budget expenditure for the financial year 2025-26 is Rs 7,57,576 crore.
Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) is a tool to bridge gender disparities in public finance, with the assumption that these economic policies may affect women, men, and others, said Ajit Pawar.
He said that this innovation in public finance helps to mainstream and prioritise gender equality and related issues. Pawar highlighted the point that the GRB is not about a separate budget for women. It is about integrating gender sensitivity, awareness, and gender equality in the budgeting process.