Gender Sensitive Issues of Development : A Second Look

Dr L Krishnamangol Singh *

Gender Budget - Allocation for Women :: Pix - TSE

The question of gender development has now become a social issue. And, it is now generally assumed that women are the segregated section of the society and that there is now demand for separate financial resources for development of women or females in the name of 'gender budgeting'. Thus, the conceptual framework for gender equality or gender development has now been reinterpreted to mean development of women or females in terms of various parameters. But in reality, gender development implies development of both men and women or males and females in the society with particular focus on the issues of women or females.

Thus the gender sensitive patterns of development have now emerged as sensitive issues of the overall process of development in a progressive and changing development society. In fact, the question of gender issues arises when the large segment of women or females lag behind men or males. And, there is also no denying the fact that a variety of programmes for development of women (i.e. females) need to be expanded and strengthened in the planning process in order to promote gender equality. But, a separate budget for women will complicate the planning exercise as there is no separate budget for men or male-gender.

Again, a separate budget for female-gender development will open the door or debate for a separate demand for male-gender. Thus, there will be endless debates on the gender sensitive issues of development. In fact, gender specific budget, which may be either for female or male will create gender gap in the development process. Therefore, what is essential is to expand the frontiers of development programmes for both men and women or males and females. For instance, it is essential to provide education and health care needs for both (i.e. for males and females).

Likewise, it is essential to provide or meet development needs for both gender. In fact, gender equality is essential for promoting inclusive economic growth and development. Thus, the measures for ending gender disparity and discrimination need to be expanded and strengthened in order to provide people's rights and freedom of development. And the society has also vital role to end the gender discrimination and gender gaps. For instance, the deep-rooted psychology of the people (particularly of the eligible couples) for "son preferences" needs to be avoided in order to encourage and support the girls or girl-child as responsible citizens or members of the society.

And the various studies and views of the experts have also revealed that the pre-natal test for determination of foetus has created gender discrimination against the girl-child. It has also created unfavourable sex-ratio/male-female ratio, which has far reaching socio-economic implications or consequences. Thus, the society can expect the close interlinakages between balanced population growth and gender development in terms of various parameters. In fact, it is essential to change the general attitude of the people which is biased against the girl-child.

And, mere introduction of gender budgeting cannot address the problem of gender discrimination and gender gap unless the society fails to appreciate the role of women in promoting gender development in the process of development. In fact, gender budgeting requires that the burden or responsibility for gender development with focus or emphasis on females or women should be shifted to the government. It further implies that women are hitherto neglected and that the strategy for development envisaged in our planning should be women-centric in terms of gender development. In this context, it is essential to re-examine the following critical issues and strategies.

1. In the past, the government recognized the gender disparity in terms of various parameters of development. In the earlier phases of planning upto the sixties, the women's welfare programmes received the attention of the planners. Since the seventies, there has been a definite shift, which is now commonly called or used as a paradigm shift from the concept of welfare measured in terms of benefits of development to the concept of "development", which recognizes women as participants of development.

Thus, along with programmes for women's development including education, health and provision of other basic needs of life, high priority has also been given to poverty alleviation and employment generation programmes in the successive Five Year Plans of the country (India) in order to enhance a perceptible improvement in their development status.

For the first time, the Sixth Plan of the country also devoted a separate chapter on women and development and focused on the programmes for education, health, employment and social welfare of women. And various programmes for development of women and children have also been expanded since the Sixth Plan. However, there are still gender disparities or the gender gaps in the process of development. Thus, there is now demand for gender budgeting in some circle in Manipur. In fact, it is a reflection of the gender sensitive development considering that women or the females lag behind men or males in many respects of life in the context of contemporary stage of social, economic and political progress of the State.

2. Our planners also recognize the primacy of India's women and children, who constitute over 70 per cent of India's people. In fact, it is essential to listen to their voices and aspirations. And the Central Government had also their earlier commitment to translate the vision for development aspect of women and children into a reality. Thus, it is essential to initiate direct policy and programme interventions for different sectors or aspects in the new development system that can address the development issues of women and children belonging to the socio-economically weaker segment of the society or from the poor communities.

In this new development system, it is also essential to expand development programmes particularly for women and children particularly in the field of health and nutrition, education, safe drinking water, housing, poverty alleviation or elimination and massive employment generation, etc. In fact, it is necessary to provide new opportunities for women in various fields of development processes. This will be a gigantic task, which requires total or overall restructuring and structural transformation of the planning and financing processes.

For instance, decentralization of planning is expected to go a long way in addressing the issues of women and children. But there are still slow process and progress in the delegation of financial and administrative powers to the panchayats. And it appears that the political oligarchy (powerful class) is still not willing to transfer full power to the panchayats due to the lack of confidence in their working.

Thus, the question is : What is the use of panchayats now when they are not capable of discharging their duties and responsibilities entrusted to them by the people as per the Constitution? Therefore, it is better to abolish the panchayat system as it leads to mere wastage of money and manpower in the panchayat election process, and the system also fails to address the rural development and women's development issues.

Again, the present planning system also fails to address many development issues like mounting problem of unemployment, large magnitude of poverty and low standard of living of the people, poor infrastructure situation including the poor condition of transport system, acute shortage of power (electricity), high rate of inflation, stagnation of economy, etc. In such a situation, it would be difficult to address women and children's issues of development unless there is a complete change in the planning system.

Again, in the present planning system and process, it would be difficult to address the gender differentials in many fields or in many respects of development at different levels/sectors. For instance, bureaucracy and stereotype system of planning has now failed to address the critical issues of development.

Therefore, mere increase in the allocation of financial resources in the budget for women's development will not address problems of gender disparity and gender development. Today, in the absence of active role of planning for socio-economic development and also in the absence of centralised Planning Commission (which is yet to be constituted), the Government of Manipur has limited power to increase the budget size of the State. And there are also other constraints to the financing process or to the increase in the financial resources of the State (Manipur), which cannot be elaborated here as I am basically concerned with the gender sensitive issues of development.

Thus, in the new planning system, what is urgently required for the nation and the states including Manipur is to initiate measures for effective implementation of the plan programmes with constant supervision, evaluation and monitoring from the side of the elected representatives( i.e. the MPs, MLAs, MPs, MLAs, etc.). The Prime Minister of the country, the Chief Ministers, the Governors of the state along with the necessary experts need to directly involve in the planning and supervision of all development programmes at appropriate levels and also in identifying the urgent development needs and areas of development.

Thus, the elected representatives of the Central and states can now play vital roles in addressing the various development issues of the nation and the states. It is therefore necessary to restructure the country's Planning Commission, and Planning Boards of different states including Manipur with active involvement of the Ministers, MPs and MLAs at appropriate levels, under one institutional framework of a modified Planning Commission. This will also help in checking the wastages of the rich expertise of the elected representatives and enabling them to participate in the development process as democratic leaders or political leaders of the people.

This leadership model of planning will also help in addressing governance and various development issues in the country including Manipur. And, in restructuring and reforming the planning system, there should be constant supervision of the elected representatives of the country and states in respect of all development programmes. Our model of planning system calls for transfer of power from the bureaucracy to the elected leaders of the country and states.

And, necessary legal requirements need to be fulfilled in order to restructure the planning commission and planning system. Again, in this new system or model of institutional framework of planning, the Ministers and MLAs should have the power for decision making relating to the development needs of the people and the states.

Therefore, this process of planning should be combined with the public action of the elected leaders (at the Central and State levels) in order to address the various development issues including the gender sensitive issues of development. Thus, the time is now ripe for the country to make a paradigm shift in planning system from the centralized planning model to strategic planning model or system, which can initiate any public action programme for social and economic development. It can also address any public need and social crisis.