ATI Kohima hosts training on gender-sensitive budgeting to foster inclusive planning and effective resource allocation.
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DIMAPUR — A two-day training on gender-sensitive budgeting and outcome budgeting began at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Kohima, on Monday. The training was organised in collaboration with the Planning and Transformation department.
According to a DIPR report. Development Commissioner Temsunaro Aier, in her opening remarks on Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB), mentioned that the officers present in the training reflect the importance that the Government of Nagaland attaches to building a more inclusive, effective, and capable system of planning and budgeting.
She said that gender equality and women's empowerment are central to sustainable and inclusive development. While policies and commitments are important, they can only make a real difference when they are supported by proper planning and adequate financial resources, and in that context, the budget remains the government's most powerful policy instrument.
“Gender Responsive Budgeting is not a separate budget for women, nor is it about spending equal amounts on women and men. It is about examining the plans and budgets through a gender lens and ensuring that public resources respond to the different needs and realities of women and men, girls and boys. It helps to make the spending more efficient, more equitable, and more impactful,” she stated.
Aier stated that, in Nagaland, the process of gender budgeting was initiated in 2009-10, and the Planning and Transformation department, as the nodal department, has since been guiding departments to incorporate gender perspectives in their plans. Gender budgeting cells have been constituted to institutionalise this effort and to support departments in tracking and improving their interventions.
The objective of the training is to build awareness and practical skills among officers to integrate gender concerns into planning, budgeting, and monitoring. It aims to help assess whether programmes are reaching the intended beneficiaries, whether resources are being used efficiently, and whether outcomes are contributing to reducing existing gaps.
She also stated that GRB is not the responsibility of one department alone. Every department, whether in social or economic sectors, has a role to play because every policy and programme has a gender impact in one way or another. A budget that is not examined through a gender lens risks being gender-blind, Aier added.
She also encouraged everyone to participate actively in this programme, to engage with the discussions, and to reflect on how the tools and ideas shared here can be applied in their own departmental work.
Rajesh Saxena, Joint Secretary (retd), Government of India, is the main resource person in the two-day training.