India’s Gender Budget 2025 lacks care investments

Source: The post India’s Gender Budget 2025 lacks care investments has been created, based on the article “Centring care in India’s economic policy” published in “The Hindu” on 3rd March 2025.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper2- Governance-Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

Context:  The article highlights India’s increased Gender Budget. This growth mostly stems from the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, not from new care investments. Women face heavy unpaid care burdens. The government must invest in care infrastructure. That fosters inclusive growth and empowerment.

For detailed information on Union Budget 2025-26 supports women’s economic growth read this article here

What is the main highlight of the Gender Budget 2025?

1. The Union Budget for 2025 allocated a record ₹4,49,028.68 crore to the Gender Budget (GB).
2. This is a 37.3% increase from FY24, making up 8.86% of the total Budget.
3. The rise is mainly due to the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, which covers 24% of the GB.
4. However, there were no significant investments in care infrastructure or new gender-responsive schemes.

Why is care infrastructure important for women?

1. Globally, women spend about 17.8% of their time on unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW).
2. In India, women do 40% more UCDW than those in South Africa and China.
3. The International Labour Organization reports that 53% of Indian women are outside the labour force due to care responsibilities, compared to just 1.1% of men.
4. Poor women often work 17–19 hours daily, balancing paid work and household duties. This leads to ‘time poverty’ and affects their well-being.

What challenges do women in the Global South face?

1. Women in the Global South perform a wide range of unpaid tasks beyond household chores, including farming, water and fuel collection, and cooking.
2. They spend up to 73% of their time on unpaid activities due to poor infrastructure.
3. Indian women spend nearly five hours daily collecting water, compared to 1.5 hours for men.
4. Climate change worsens this burden, with water-related unpaid labour in India projected to reach $1.4 billion by 2050.
5. Limited public investment and social norms assign care work to women, increasing their workload.

What solutions does the Economic Survey propose?

1. Increase Care Investments: Allocate more funds to care infrastructure. Despite a 37.3% rise in the Gender Budget for 2025, there were no substantial investments in care infrastructure.
2. Expand Access to Water: Strengthen the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) for 100% potable water coverage by 2028, as women spend nearly five hours daily collecting water compared to 1.5 hours for men.
3. Adopt the ‘Three R Framework’: Implement Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute, and Represent unpaid care work. Investing 2% of GDP in care infrastructure could create 11 million jobs.
4. Use the Urban Challenge Fund: Utilise the ₹1 lakh crore fund to develop care infrastructure, inspired by Bogotá’s Care Blocks, to reduce women’s unpaid work.
5. Involve Women in Decision-Making: Enhance women’s representation to ensure gender-responsive policies, which can be six to seven times more effective.

Question for practice:

Examine how the lack of investment in care infrastructure despite the increased Gender Budget for 2025 impacts women’s unpaid care burdens in India.