Distinguished Scholar Prof. Vibhuti Patel Delivers Special Lecture on ‘Gender Responsive Budgeting in India’ at Jamia Millia Islamia
TNN News : The Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies (SNCWS), Jamia Millia Islamia hosted a special lecture on July 28, 2025 by renowned economist and gender studies expert, Prof. Vibhuti Patel who is currently the distinguished Visiting Professor at Impact and Policy Research Institute, Delhi. The special lecture titled, ‘Two Decades of Gender Responsive Budgeting in India (2005–2025)’, illuminating India’s journey to integrate gender perspectives into its fiscal policies over the past two decades, was conducted in the virtual mode.
The lecture was chaired by Prof. Nishat Zaidi-Hony. Director of the Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies. Dr Adfer Rashid Shah, the coordinator of the event, introduced the theme and delivered the welcome remarks and Prof. Zaidi delivered the opening remarks and introduced the speaker to the participants.
Prof. Vibhuti Patel, traced the evolution of Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) in India since its adoption in 2005. Drawing on her extensive research, she highlighted key achievements, such as increased allocations for women-centric schemes, while addressing persistent challenges, including implementation gaps and the need for improved gender-disaggregated data. She stated that gender budgeting is a powerful tool for justice, ensuring fiscal policies address the needs of women and marginalized communities to foster an equitable society.
The lecture offered a critical analysis of GRB’s impact on sectors such as education, healthcare and employment, providing insights into its successes and shortcomings. Prof. Patel proposed forward-looking strategies to strengthen GRB, aligning it with India’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. She emphasized the importance of institutional structures, such as ‘Gender Budgeting Cells’ within ministries, to coordinate and mainstream GRB. She further stressed that GRB is not solely the responsibility of the Ministry of Women and Child Development but requires all ministries to allocate resources for gender-specific programs.
The lecture was organized as part of the celebration of the twenty five years of the establishment of SNCWS. This lecture honoured the legacy of Sarojini Naidu, the “Nightingale of India,” by fostering critical discourse on gender, social and cultural issues. The event underscored SNCWS’s commitment to promote academic discussions on gender equality and inclusive policymaking besides advocacy and research.
In her concluding remarks, Prof. Nishat Zaidi underscored that the gender-responsive budgeting embeds a gender lens across all phases of the budgetary process, fostering gender equality and empowering women by prioritizing their unique needs and narrowing socioeconomic gaps.
The engaging Q&A session that followed sparked dynamic discussions, with diverse perspectives from participants enhancing the lecture and cultivating a collaborative and inclusive environment for advancing gender-focused policymaking. The vibrant discussions and diverse perspectives through questions asked by students and academicians across disciplines and universities greatly enriched the lecture, fostering an inclusive learning environment.
The lecture ended with a formal vote of thanks delivered by Zoyba, an M.A Gender Studies 3rd Semester student.
