Why in the News?

The Union and State governments often express their commitment to women’s empowerment. One of the four main pillars of Viksit Bharat 2047 is women’s development.

What are the three components of the gender budget?

• Part A: Schemes with 100% allocation for women and girls. Example: Beti Bachao Beti Padhao – a scheme focused entirely on improving the welfare of girls.
• Part B: Schemes with 30% to 99% allocation for women and girls. Example: National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) – where a significant portion is directed toward maternal and child healthcare.
• Part C: Schemes with less than 30% allocation for women and girls (introduced in 2024-25). Example: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) – where a small portion benefits women, though the primary beneficiaries are land-owning farmers.

Why is the agricultural sector’s allocation under the gender budget considered ineffective for women?

• Land Ownership Inequality: Most agricultural schemes, like PM-Kisan, are land-linked, and since agricultural land is typically owned by men, women are excluded from direct benefits. Example: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) provides ₹6,000 per year to land-owning farmers, but women who work on the land without ownership do not qualify.
• Limited Focus on Women Farmers: There is insufficient funding for programs addressing the specific needs of women farmers, such as access to credit, training, and technology. Example: Schemes like the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), which focus on empowering women in agriculture, receive a smaller share of the gender budget.
• Exclusion from Decision-Making: Women in agriculture often lack legal and institutional representation, limiting their ability to influence policy decisions and resource allocation. Example: Despite women forming a significant share of the agricultural workforce, they are underrepresented in farmer producer organizations (FPOs) and cooperatives.

Who benefits the most from the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme?

• Land-Owning Farmers: The primary beneficiaries of the PM-Kisan scheme are small and marginal land-owning farmers who receive ₹6,000 per year in three equal installments. Example: A male landowner with 2 hectares of cultivable land is eligible for the financial assistance under the scheme.
• Male Family Members: Since land ownership in India is predominantly male, the male head of the household typically receives the direct cash transfer, even when women contribute equally to agricultural work. Example: In patriarchal households, the registered male family member receives the PM-Kisan payments, excluding women working on the same land.
• Joint Landholders (Primarily Men): In cases of joint land ownership, the payment is usually disbursed to the registered owner, who is more often a man, rather than women co-owners. Example: If a piece of farmland is jointly owned by a husband and wife, the husband is more likely to be listed as the primary beneficiary.

Why are women often excluded from its advantages?

• Lack of Land Ownership: Women often do not hold legal ownership of agricultural land, making them ineligible for PM-Kisan benefits, as the scheme is limited to landowners. Example: A woman working on her family’s farmland cannot receive PM-Kisan payments if the land is registered in her husband’s name.
• Patriarchal Inheritance Practices: Customary inheritance laws and patriarchal norms often prevent women from inheriting land, limiting their access to direct agricultural benefits. Example: In many rural areas, agricultural land is passed down to sons, excluding daughters from ownership and thus from PM-Kisan benefits.
• Administrative and Documentation Barriers: Women face challenges in providing legal documents (such as land records or identity proof) required to register as beneficiaries under the scheme. Example: Widowed or single women who cultivate land but lack formal ownership documents are excluded from receiving financial assistance.

Way forward: 

• Ensure Gender-Inclusive Land Reforms: Promote joint land titles for spouses and simplify the land registration process to increase women’s eligibility for schemes like PM-Kisan.
• Design Women-Centric Agricultural Programs: Introduce exclusive subsidies, credit access, and training for women farmers while increasing the allocation under gender-responsive schemes like Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP).

Mains PYQ:

Q Women empowerment in India needs gender budgeting. What are requirements and status of gender budgeting in the Indian context? (UPSC IAS/2016)

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