Budget 2014 promises a safer India for women

At a time when India is witnessing a surge in the crimes against women, the Union Budget of 2014-15 seems to have brought a sigh of relief for the cause of women. With the growing demand for some concrete steps for safety of women in the country, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his maiden Budget, announced a few initiatives alongwith some schemes for the girl child.

Safety of women:

In an attempt to make public transport safer for women, Rs 50 crore has been allocated by the Finance Minister towards a pilot scheme for which the Road Transport Ministry will be responsible. Rs 150 crore has been allocated on a scheme to increase the safety of women in all the cities.
Jaitley said, "The Road Transport Ministry will ensure that the amount is used to make public transport safer for women."

Rs 100 crore allocated for Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana

The Finance Minister said that the government will also focus on campaigns to sensitize people towards the girl child issue and to do the same he said that the school curriculums will soon have a separate chapter on gender mainstreaming.

Saving the girl child:

Lamenting the apathy towards girl child the Finance Minister in NDA's maiden Union Budget announced 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana' and said that the government has set aside Rs 100 crore for the project. The scheme will work towards protecting and educating the girl child across the country and will help girls become tomorrow's nation builders. He also said that more schemes for education of the girl child will be launched soon.

Crisis Management Centre:

Arun Jaitley also announced setting up of a Crisis Management Centre for women in national capital Delhi and informed that no separate funds have been allocated for the same. He said money for this centre will be drawn from the Nirbhaya fund, which was announced in the previous year's budget after the December 16, 2012 gang-rape in Delhi. This fund was set up to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards protecting women, and was allocated Rs 1,000 crore when it was announced during the Union Budget of 2013 given by P Chidambaram.

National Savings Certificate:

Jaitley also said that as part of financial inclusion mission, a special small savings instrument to cater to the requirement of education and marriage of the girl child will also be introduced.

A National Savings Certificate with insurance cover will also be launched to provide additional benefits for small savers.

With every budget come such announcements but how many of them actually get implemented is the most important question. At a time when safety of women is in jeopardy, what one hopes is that these schemes and centres come on ground and act as an impetus in country's growth.