&w=3840&q=100)
Centre unveils portal to boost gender budgeting across ministries, states
The knowledge hub is intended for use by central and state government ministries and departments, as well as other stakeholders.
Addressing the gathering, the Union Minister said that gender budgeting has evolved from being a fiscal exercise to becoming a strategic instrument for inclusive governance. 'Our government believes that when we invest in women, we are not merely allocating resources; we are shaping a more just, empowered, and Viksit Bharat,' she said.
For the financial year 2025–26, the government has allocated ₹4.49 lakh crore towards the gender budget — a 37 per cent increase over the previous year's allocation, she added.
The Union Minister further highlighted that over the past 11 years, gender budget allocations have increased four-and-a-half times — from ₹0.98 lakh crore in 2014–15 to ₹4.49 lakh crore in 2025–26.
The consultation — the first of its kind — deliberated on measures to strengthen gender budgeting processes across all sectors. It also included the sharing of initiatives and good practices from central ministries, departments, and state governments under their respective schemes, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said in a statement.
The journey of Twenty Years of Gender Budgeting in India: Achievements and Challenges was discussed during the national consultation. Deliberations were also held on a draft Training Manual on Gender Budgeting, developed by the Ministry as an important capacity-building tool and practical guide to understanding various aspects of gender budgeting in India.
Senior officers from 40 central ministries and departments, and 19 states, along with representatives from UN Women, the Asian Development Bank, and experts from national-level institutes, participated in the day-long consultation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
8 minutes ago
- Mint
Three shipbuilding clusters to come up at ₹75,000 crore
New Delhi: The Centre is looking at an investment of ₹75,000 crore in the three brand-new shipyards planned along its east and west coasts, as it targets to make India a global hub for shipbuilding. The investment will be made over four to five years, with the yards capable of making and repairing ships. 'The government is seeking to set up three greenfield shipbuilding clusters and support the existing shipyards carry out brownfield expansion. Overall, the government is targeting about ₹25,000 crore investment per greenfield cluster, which may be subject to significant changes based on the final locations and the shipyard sizes," the Union ports ministry said in response to a query. Five states are in talks with local and foreign shipbuilders to pick the ideal locations to host the three facilities, the ministry said. One of the shipyards may also host a shipbreaking facility supplying material for shipbuilding. 'MoPSW is also finalizing schemes to support these clusters (greenfield). For the brownfield expansion of existing yards, there is a scheme under finalization to support the expansion efforts of all the yards," the ministry said. Greenfield manufacturing refers to facilities put up from scratch, while brownfield refers to the expansion of existing facilities. The planned total amount of ₹75,000 is expected to come from both the Centre and companies. Mint reported in July that Indian state-run firms were looking to tie up with global shipbuilders. Also, in September, Mint reported that India is looking to Japan and Korea for shipbuilding initiatives. Talks are on with Japanese and Korean shipbuilders for investments in Indian clusters, while existing public sector shipbuilders are separately negotiating with Korean firms for joint ventures. Push for local The shipyard push is part of the government's ambition to make ships of all sizes and build locally, and encourage Indian built, owned and flagged cargo ships. The country's share in global shipbuilding now remains below 1%. The government's projection is to raise the share of Indian built ships in India's fleet from 5% at present to 7% by 2030 and 69% by 2047. Earlier, shipping secretary T.K. Ramachandran had told Mint that five locations in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra were being considered for developing shipbuilding clusters. It is expected that first three may come up in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Odisha, where identification and notification of land for the project has progressed swiftly. Special purpose vehicles have also been formed in these states and they have also commissioned techno economic feasibility report (TEFR) for the project. Some of the sites have carried out initial viability assessments of the locations and the same is planned for other locations. The findings will be shared with shipbuilders, and they will be invited to invest in these clusters, the ministry said. "A significant capital commitment under a public-private partnership model underpins the ambitious objective of becoming a leading shipbuilding power by 2047. While the challenge is massive, the opportunity is equally substantial," said Anshuman Magazine, chairman & CEO, India, South East Asia, Middle East & Africa, at CBRE, a global consulting firm. India is a classic example of peninsular geography, with an extensive coastline spanning nine states, which provides a distinct competitive advantage in maritime logistics across the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean, Magazine said. "The regional market, particularly the supply chains of emerging Southeast Asian economies, presents a huge opportunity for India to position itself as a reliable and cost-competitive alternative in the shipbuilding industry," he added. Indian officials have visited traditional shipbuilding centres in Korea, Japan, and a few Scandinavian countries to explore partnerships and joint venture agreements. Over the next few months, some tie-ups between global shipbuilders and Indian private sector and state-owned companies are expected. The FY26 budget proposed Maritime Development Fund, a ₹25,000 crore government-industry partnership that would help develop manufacturing clusters with focus on shipbuilding and breaking. The budget also proposed that the existing Shipbuilding Financial Assistance (SBF) policy will be revamped to address cost disadvantages while also providing Credit Notes for shipbreaking to help purchase indigenously build ships. The budget has also included large ships in the infrastructure harmonized master list (HML) allowing purchase of ships on easier terms while providing basic customs duty exemption on raw materials, components, consumables or parts for the manufacture of ships extended for another ten years. Formal government notification for these programmes is still awaited. As per Maritime Vision 2030 and Vision 2047 plan, government is targeting to make India among the top 10 and among top five shipbuilding and ship owning country's worldwide respectively. Overall investment of ₹3 to 3.5 lakh crore across ports, shipping, and inland waterways categories is targeted. The shipbuilding initiative would also address a concern of the trade about the uncertainty and variability (escalation) of shipping cost impacting their market competitiveness. With better availability of domestic shipping lines at affordable prices, the freight rate volatility due to black swan events like covid-19, the Russia-Ukraine war, Red Sea crisis, Iran-Israel conflict, etc, could also be checked.
The Hindu
38 minutes ago
- The Hindu
What has been the impact of ethanol blending?
The story so far: E20 petrol, which contains 20% ethanol and is being sold by Indian oil refiners, has been much in the news lately. India has achieved its target to blend 20% ethanol per litre of fuel five years ahead of the target under the National Policy on Biofuels. Ethanol blending in India rose from just 1.5% in 2014 to 20% in 2025, backed by the government's strong fiscal incentives to the sugarcane industry. While the government says ethanol blending achieves a range of goals such as cutting greenhouse gas emissions, bolstering farmers' incomes and reducing India's oil import bill, its benefits to the environment require closer scrutiny. How are vehicle owners reacting to this change? Vehicles sold in India from 2023 come with E20 stickers, indicating compatibility with 20% ethanol blended petrol. Additionally, manufacturers have addressed the concerns of those who own older vehicles. Hero Motocrop says in its website, 'The material composition such as rubbers, elastomers and plastic components that are directly exposed to fuel also need to be changed to E20 compatible materials.' However, according to LocalCircles, two in three petrol vehicle owners are against the E20 mandate. Only 12% of the 36,000 people surveyed across 315 districts are in favour of the switch. Critics cited a drop in mileage and increased maintenance costs. The survey urged the Union government to allow consumers to choose the type of fuel they want. While the Centre admitted to a 'marginal drop' in engine efficiency, it said this 'can be further minimised through improved engine tuning and use of E20-compatible materials.' Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has called the consumer angst a 'vilification campaign' facilitated by 'vested, economic interests'. While the Union government attempts to defend its E20 policy, its own think tank, the NITI Aayog, has urged the government 'to compensate the consumers for a drop in efficiency from ethanol blended fuels', by way of 'tax incentives on E10 and E20 fuel'. According to the Minister, 'since 2014-15 India has already saved more than ₹1.40 lakh crore in foreign exchange through petrol substitution.' But has the benefit been passed to the end consumer? An analysis by The Hindu showed that Coal India Ltd, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), and Gas Authority of India Ltd collectively contributed ₹1.27 lakh crore, or 42.3% of the total ₹3 lakh crore dividends the Union government received from non-banking Public Sector Undertaking (PSUs) between 2020-21 and 2024-25. IOC and BPCL together saw a 255% rise in their dividend payouts since 2022-23 and a 65% decrease in oil prices. However, the two PSUs only passed on a 2% decrease in petrol prices to the public. What about the impact on agriculture? Sugarcane-based ethanol supply has grown from 40 crore litres in FY14 to nearly 670 crore litres, derived from about 9% of total sugar output, in FY24. The Union government says it has paid 'over ₹1.20 lakh crore to farmers' since FY15. But how environmentally friendly is India's dependence on sugarcane for ethanol? About 60-70 tonnes of water is required to cultivate one tonne of sugarcane. Many sugarcane growing regions in India do not receive the 1,500 to 3,000 millimetre rainfall that is necessary for the crop's optimal growth. This leads to groundwater extraction and unsustainable irrigation methods. A 2023 Central Groundwater Board report says that sugarcane growing districts in Maharashtra extract more groundwater than nearby regions. Distress among sugarcane growers in that State has been widely reported. Unsustainable agriculture practices accelerate land degradation. The Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India 2021 found that almost 30% of India's land is degraded. The water intensive nature of sugarcane and the impact on ground water reserves at a time of extreme weather has been absent from the discussion on ethanol-blended petrol. The Centre, however, says it is looking to diversify ethanol supplies. The Food Corporation of India's rice allocation for ethanol jumped to a record 5.2 million metric tonnes, which is about 3.6% of output, from less than 3,000 tonnes allocated last year. Similarly, in 2024-25, over 34% of corn output was diverted for ethanol production. This diversion forced India to import about 9.7 lakh tonnes of corn during 2024-25 — a six-fold increase over the previous year's 1.37 lakh tonnes. Despite diversification efforts, area under sugarcane cultivation this year is estimated to be 57.24 lakh hectare against 57.11 lakh hectare last season. The assured payment mechanism for sugarcane, the Fair and Remunerative Pricing, is the key reason farmers bet on the crop as a source of stable income. While this rise is marginal, an analysis by the OECD-FAO says that 22% of India's sugarcane will be used for ethanol production by 2034. India's booming ethanol economy has also come under the gaze of the U.S. The Trump administration is pushing India to relax restrictions to its ethanol imports. The 2025 National Trade Estimate report noted India's policy as a significant 'trade barrier.' Import relaxation could potentially undermine years of investment and capacity building in ethanol production. The Indian Sugar Mills Association has urged the government to maintain the restrictions. Will it affect the transition to EVs? The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said the shift to ethanol-blended petrol 'has helped India reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 700 lakh tonnes.' Shifting to EVs, however, will achieve far higher rates of emissions reductions and speed up transport's decarbonisation, which is the third largest carbon emitting sector globally after energy and industry. The success of cities like Beijing in cutting air pollution is mainly due to the rapid adoption of EVs. Of course, this switch has to be backed by renewable energy rather than coal, to aid in decarbonising transport. Adoption of EVs has been much slower in India when compared to other large economies like the U.S., the European Union and China. About 7.6% of vehicle sales in 2024 was electric. Sales of EVs have to increase by over 22% in the next five years to reach the government's own target of 30% by 2030. Another challenge to wider EV adoption in India is its dependence on Rare Earth Elements (REE). According to the Ministry of Mines, before China's export curbs were imposed, only 2,270 tonnes of REEs and compounds of REEs were imported in 2023-24. But this relatively lower level is critical for the industry to sustain the current level of EV production. The production and processing of many REEs is geographically concentrated in China, making global supply vulnerable to several risks. The automotive industry has also sounded alarm bells about the disruption in rare earth supply. India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki reduced its near-term production targets for its new EV, e-Vitara, attributing it to delays in receiving rare earth magnets. Other manufacturers too are bracing themselves for disruptions. Crisil Ratings Senior Director Anuj Sethi has said, 'The supply squeeze comes just as the auto sector is preparing for aggressive EV rollouts.' The recent detente in bilateral relations with China might help the industry to address the crisis in the short term. The Union government is engaged in diplomacy with Beijing to address the rare earth supply crunch, mainly germanium. Going forward, there is uncertainty on whether the Centre wants to push ahead with ethanol blending beyond 20%. While Minister Puri said the government will push for blending beyond 20%, the Union government in March said that there has been no decision yet.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Krishna Milk Union to mentor 5,465 ‘Golden Families'
Vijayawada: In a significant stride towards creating a poverty-free society, the Krishna Milk Union has voluntarily come forward to guide 5,465 'Golden Families' in a new initiative that aligns with the Andhra Pradesh government's innovative P4 (Public-Private-People-Partnership) policy. The Krishna Milk Union, which not only sells milk and dairy products but also supports the welfare of thousands of dairy farmers, said its commitment to the P4 model. Krishna Milk Union chairman Chalasani Anjaneyulu and other board members handed over the official documents to district collector Dr G Lakshmisha during a community 'Gokulam' programme in Munagacherla, Nandigama mandal. The Union will adopt 1,524 Golden Families from Vatsavai mandal, 1,192 from Penuganchiprolu, 1,255 from Vissannapeta, 747 from Vijayawada Rural, and 747 from Chandarlapadu. Anjaneyulu stated that the Union will study the financial status of these families and provide the necessary support to empower them. The Union will bear the interest on dairy cattle loans of up to Rs 1 lakh per family, which are provided through the KDCC Bank. Special attention will also be given to providing fodder and veterinary services. The Union plans to establish community 'Gokulams' where needed and guide the families to make the most of them. Additionally, there will be a strong focus on encouraging women dairy farmers and working with district authorities to improve living standards through dairy farming. The union will also provide health services to members of the Golden Families as needed. In a further gesture of support, the Krishna Milk Union has announced a grant of Rs 1 crore to provide one lakh doses of sex-sorted semen to ensure the birth of high-quality female calves, which will boost milk production. The union will provide a subsidy of Rs 100 per dose, which is valued at Rs 150. Collector Lakshmisha commended the Krishna Milk Union, stating that the dairy industry has the potential to transform the rural economy. He thanked the union for its initiative in adopting thousands of families to eradicate poverty. The collector called on other unions, NGOs, industrialists, and individuals to come forward with similar compassion and contribute to this inspiring cause.
