CHENNAI: Following the government’s release of draft State policies for women and children to improve their status, the Social Welfare Department, which will implement these policies, is expected to get an increased budget allocation for 2022-23.
Even as ministers made it clear that welfare schemes are the bedrock of the State’s development, the Social Welfare Department was, perhaps, the only major sector where funds were reduced by 4 per cent with an allocation of Rs 14,072 crore in 2020-21. It was Rs 13,909 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 14,589 crore in 2019-20. Officials in the department said they are also carrying out impact assessment studies to tweak the existing schemes.
One of the major areas of focus in the Budget would be revamping self-help groups, and providing more emphasis on production-based work. The draft policy for women also mentions creation of women cohorts for peer-learning and sharing. “Steps should be taken to provide skill training, and the government should improve the marketing strategy of products created by self-help groups. With around 50 per cent women in unorganised sectors, the government should also strengthen the sectoral welfare boards with enough funds generated through levies,” said Geetha of Penurimai Iyakkam.
Crimes against women and children have gone up since the lockdown. As per NCRB data, reported cases of crimes against women in Tamil Nadu increased from 5,934 in 2019 to 6,630 in 2020. Cases of child labour and child marriages have also risen.
TN State Commission for Women and TN Commission for Protection of Child Rights were allocated Rs 73.49 lakh and Rs 75.17 lakh respectively in the revised Budget of 2021-22. These funds are inadequate for the commissions to carry out the tasks assigned to them.
In line with the DMK manifesto, milk can be expected to be added to the mid-day meal scheme, which the State has pioneered. Activists also urged the government to resolve hiccups in schemes like National Child Labour Programme. “The Centrally-sponsored scheme to eradicate child labour is on the verge of collapse. Salary for teachers and stipends for students are not paid for several years. This is affecting children, especially since the pandemic,” said P Bala Murugan of Tamil Nadu Alliance.
Though the Central government has been releasing gender Budget statements since 2005, the State government started it in 2018-19. This has three sections — part A listing schemes of which 100% benefit women, part B in which 40-99% benefit women, and part C with schemes which have at least 30% outlay for women.
“Women groups have demanded that part C be removed. Instead, the government should provide disaggregated information on allocation of resources based on vulnerability indicators like caste, religion, women-headed households, women with disabilities and sexual minorities,” said Kamatchi, researcher at Social Watch.