Identifying fault lines in Maharashtra’s gender budget for health and nutrition

Even inside current investments, there may be clear lack of a gender transformative strategy. The main target stays on the reproductive position of girls and women—extra so, on the organic position of childbearing. All different elements of bodily well being, such because the rising incidence of cervical and breast most cancers, weight problems, hypertension and diabetes, menopausal points, and geriatric and palliative care, are poorly addressed. No particular allocations are reported for girls’s psychological well being points, regardless of proof of them being extra vulnerable to depression and anxiety, particularly because of the heightened triple burden in the course of the pandemic.

Additional, wants of girls from marginalised sections resembling Adivasis, Dalits, the aged, disabled, intercourse staff, transgender individuals, and girls from distant areas, hardly discover any point out within the well being and diet programmes of the federal government. Their accessibility, affordability, and availability to healthcare and diet services stay a problem.

In view of the above, a needs-based strategy to gender responsive planning and budgeting, which takes into consideration current gender imbalances, is required. The street to restoration should embody financing programmes that deal with fundamental well being and diet wants, in addition to gender transformative ones, to make sure general well-being and empowerment of girls, women, and different various genders.

(Be aware: All graphs are based mostly on authors’ calculations from the Govt of Maharashtra’s Gender Finances Statements FY 2020-21, FY 2021-22.)