Increased Gender Budget for 'Matri Shakti'

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that just a day after International Women's Day and on the very first day of the budget session, the state government has reassured Matri Shakti (women) that it is serious about their welfare. Whether it is the increase in the size of the gender budget, which is important from the perspective of women's equality, or budgetary provisions for various schemes directly related to women, the government has ensured financial support for them.

Add Asianet Newsable as a Preferred Source

According to an official release from CMO, the Chief Minister stated that last year the state government had presented a gender budget of Rs 16,961.32 crore. While presenting the budget this time, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that a provision of Rs 19,692.02 crore has been made under gender budgeting. This clearly indicates that efforts aimed at women's welfare will gain further momentum following this budget.

Allocation for Direct Benefit Schemes

He further said that the state government has demonstrated its commitment to women's welfare by allocating funds for schemes that directly benefit them, such as the Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana for mothers and the Nirbhaya Fund for the safety of daughters. In addition, there is a long list of schemes--including the Chief Minister Mahalakshmi Kit Scheme, Vatsalya Yojana, Chief Minister Women Nutrition Scheme, and financial assistance for the marriage of daughters of destitute widows--for which budget provisions have been made, reflecting the government's serious efforts to improve the well-being of women, a release stated.

Focus on Nutrition Schemes

He also said that under the Saksham Anganwadi and Nutrition 2.0 scheme, the state government has allocated ₹598.33 crore. Under this scheme, supplementary nutrition is being provided through Anganwadi centres to around 7.33 lakh beneficiaries aged between six months and six years.

Additionally, keeping in mind the nutritional needs of both mothers and children, a total budget provision of approximately ₹149.45 crore has been made for the Prime Minister's Nutrition Mission, a release added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)