Budgetary allocation alone not enough

Rather than focusing on having a gender responsive budget with a lot of allocation for women, the aim should be to make women emerge as a powerful social group, said Dr Debapriya Bhattachariya, a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue.
“Increasing the budgetary allocation is not enough. Holding social programmes like rallies and being vocal about women's issues is crucial,” he added.
He was speaking at a discussion on gender responsive budget organised by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad at the CIRDAP auditorium yesterday.
He expressed satisfaction that women are increasingly becoming involved in the economic activities of the country. “In fact, women have a larger share in our economic growth,” he said.
Sharmind Nilormi, associate professor of Jahangirnagar University's Department of Economics, made few recommendations for a gender responsive budget for the next fiscal year.
Her recommendations included preparing gender responsive budget in all ministries and taking measures to implement it.
“There is no reason to be excited about the success of girls in literacy and enrolment,” she said.
Although more girls than boys enrol in primary schools, Nilormi informed that fewer girls complete their schooling as the dropout rates among girls are very high.
She added that hostels and residential facilities for female students and professional women should be prioritised.