OneWorld.net (U.S.)

"The Budget is an important tool in the hands of state for affirmative action for improvement of gender relations through reduction of gender gap in the development process. It can help to reduce economic inequalities, between men and women as well as between the rich and the poor.

Hence, the budgetary policies need to keep into considerations the gender dynamics operating in the economy and in the civil society. There is a need to highlight participatory approaches to pro-poor budgeting, bottom up budget, child budget, SC budget, ST budget, green budgeting, local and global implications of pro-poor and pro-women budgeting, alternative macro scenarios emerging out of alternative budgets and inter-linkages between gender-sensitive budgeting and women’s empowerment.

This paper was presented by Dr.Vibhuti Patel, Professor and Head, Post Graduate Department of Economics, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, at the national consultation on Women and Health-Eleventh Plan Priorities and Strategies (sponsored by UNFPA) on June 10-11, 2006 at Chandigarh.