New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) The Union Budget 2026-27 provides a significant push to gender-responsive allocations, the women and child development (WCD) ministry said on Sunday, adding that the total share of the gender budget in the estimates for the upcoming fiscal year has increased to 9.37 per cent as compared to 8.86 per cent in 2025-26.
In a statement issued here, the WCD ministry said an allocation of Rs 5 lakh crore has been made for welfare of women and girls in the Gender Budget Statement (GBS) for 2026-27, marking an 11.36 per cent increase over the allocation of Rs 4.49 lakh crore in FY 2025-26.
It also said the proposal to train 1.5 lakh multi-skilled caregivers across geriatric, childcare, and allied health services will enhance these facilities while creating new avenues of employment, particularly for women.
The WCD ministry got an allocation of Rs 28,183.06 crore for 2026-27, even as the figures revealed that the ministry spent Rs 24,373.91 crore against an allocation of Rs 26,889.69 crore in 2025-26.
Compared to the revised estimates for FY 2025-26, the allocation for the WCD ministry has increased by around 15 per cent, while compared to the total budget allocation, the increase is around 4.8 per cent.
Around Rs 23,100 crore has been earmarked for the Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 schemes, significantly higher than Rs 21,960 allocated in the previous budget. As per revised estimates, the expenditure on the scheme in 2025-26 was around Rs 20,949.47 crore.
For Mission VATSALYA, the allocation for 2026-27 is Rs 1,550 crore, slightly higher that the Rs 1,500-crore allocation for 2025-26, while as per the revised estimates, Rs 1,100 crore was spent.
For Mission Shakti, Rs 3,200 crore was allocated this year, against a lay-out of Rs 3,150 crore last year, while revised estimates puts the spending at around Rs 2,000 crore.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech announced that a girls’ hostel will be established in every district, a decision welcomed by Union Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi.
“A historic announcement in the direction of a bright future for daughters. The central government has taken a major decision to construct girls’ hostels in every district of the country. This initiative is a milestone that will strengthen gender equality, safety, and empowerment in the field of education,” the WCD minister said.
“Along with this, with the expansion of new institutions in higher education, university townships, research infrastructure, and other educational facilities, the daughters of the country will now be able to move forward with even greater confidence,” the minister said, asserting the the budget estimates send a clear message that women will study, progress, and shape the future of India.
Executive Director, Population Foundation of India, Poonam Muttreja however said the Union Budget 2026-27 underinvests in women and girls, as she stressed women’s health, safety, and agency are not social sector add-ons but core economic imperatives.
“Women-led development is not a welfare agenda, it is central to India’s economic future. If 2026-27 budget does not decisively invest in women’s health, safety, and care systems, we risk missing our demographic opportunity,” said Muttreja.
She said the budget figures conceal “serious structural issues” and majority of the funding is still integrated into larger initiatives, making it challenging to monitor the results for women, while there is still a lack in accountability.
She said allocations for Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 has increased by only 5 per cent, which is inadequate given persistent child malnutrition and the growing need for full-day childcare, also highlighting the key role of Anganwadi centres in enabling women’s participation in the workforce.
“Anganwadis are expected to be nutrition centres, pre-schools, health hubs, and childcare facilities, but they are funded as if care is not integral. Women cannot work if childcare systems remain weak,” Muttreja emphasised.
Women’s safety presents another disjunction between rhetoric and resources. While Mission Shakti sees a 14 per cent increase in budget allocation, safety and crisis-response services together account for less than 1 per cent of the total gender budget, Muttreja said.
At the same time, allocations for the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban are halved, undermining sanitation and public safety, both critical determinants of women’s health and mobility.
“Gender-based violence is not just a law-and-order issue; it is a public health crisis. Yet, funding for shelter homes, counselling, and crisis response remains grossly inadequate,” she said, adding that the budget also overlooks the women who form the backbone of India’s health system.
“Nearly ten lakh ASHA workers and thousands of ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) staff continue to work under conditions of low pay, insecurity, and limited professional recognition, even as they shoulder expanding responsibilities,” she added.
On allocations for children in the budget, Child Rights and You CEO Puja Marwaha said the budget reflects a “modest but notable uptick”.
“Compared to the previous budget (2025-26), the share of the child budget in the Union Budget 26-27 has increased from 2.29 per cent to 2.47 per cent, while allocations as a percentage of GDP have increased marginally from 0.33 per cent to 0.34 percent,” the NGO said in a statement.
“While this signals positive intent, the overall scale of investment remains limited when viewed against India’s demographic realities and the growing developmental needs of children. Incremental increases in health, nutrition and education are welcome, but achieving inclusive and sustainable growth will require sharper prioritisation of children, with stronger and more equitable investments that go beyond marginal year-on-year gains,” Marwaha said. PTI AO ARB ARB
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