Gender Responsive Budgeting

Promoting gender based budgeting in the Aurangabad (2004-06) and Solapur (2008-09) Municipal Corporations (2003-2007) in the districts of Aurangabad and Solapur Municipal Corporations In Maharashtra (India) with the help of UNIFEM, South Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, India.

Work involved

Sensitizing policy makers in municipal corporations to ensure enhanced gender perspectives to the annual budgets and set up institutional mechanisms to increase budgetary provisions to address urban women's issues such as health, childcare, basic amenities, etc. and enhance women's counselors say in designing budgets and action gender just programs. Etablished Women's Yashaswta Vyaspeeth (Women's Self Reliant Forums to work on issues of GRB and VAW in urban and rural areas of two districts.

The specific achievements in two corporations were as follows:

Aurangabad Municipal Corporation:

• The continuous constructive dialogue of Dr. Gorhe and project team helped to overcome apprehensions of the Municipal officials and elected representatives (Corporators). Their orientation created favourable disposition of officers and corporators of municipal corporation towards GRB. The efforts of Dr. Gorhe was particularly relevant in allying the electoral implications of this process and importance of gender orientation in budgeting irrespective of political affiliations, especially in respect of elected representatives. As a result of this the Municipal Corporation in its budget of 2005-2006 termed it as Gender Responsive Budget and increased budgetary provisions for 1. Public toilets in slum areas, 2. Hospitals 3. incentives for halting school drop - out amongst children, 4. women and child Development. Important part was that apart from sensitizing the elected members and officials the GRB is now institutionalsed in the budget of this corporation. The GRB processes have continued even after withdrawal of project.
• AMC set up 2 counseling centers for VAW survivors, started 20 Beded hospital at Chikhalthana in Aurangabad, scholoships for girls to stop school drop-out amongst them, increase in the quality environment by providing school uniforms, sports material, mid day meals and started Education for All Campaign in the municipality. To supervise the quality education amongst girls and free and fair environment for girls AMC has set up Women and Child Development Committees.
• After seeing work of SAK in Aurangabad, women corporators form municipal corporations of neighboring Jalana and Partur towns also demanded the intervention from SAK and the same inputs were provided to officials and elected representatives of the two municipal houses.

Solapur Municipal Corporation:



• On SAK intervention in response to SAK advocacy SMC set up the missing statutory body namely "Women and Child Development Committee". After frequent meetings with Municipal Commissioner and State Government the prior issued a Resolution to set up such committee comprising women elected to SMC.
• The women councilors here pushed their demand to set up Family Court.
• Taking clue from Aurangabad, Jalana and Solapur the elected councilors of Nagpur demanded and ensured setting of Women and Child Development Committed under Nagpur MC. The Amaravati and Nanded MCs too have shown keen interest in WCDCs and want to set up the same to cater to the needs of urban poor women and girl children.
• From practical experience of working on GRB SAK designed a manual on GRB which is being widely circulated amongst councilors in Maharashtra.