Gender Responsive Budgeting & Outcome Budgeting Training Begins in Kohima
KOHIMA, FEBRUARY 16: A two-day training programme on Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) and Outcome Budgeting began at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Kohima, on February 16. The programme is being organised in collaboration with the Planning & Transformation Department.
Opening the session, Development Commissioner, Government of Nagaland, Temsunaro Aier, IAS, said the presence of senior officers reflected the importance the State government attaches to building a more inclusive, effective, and capable system of planning and budgeting.
She stated that gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to sustainable and inclusive development. While policies and commitments are important, they can make a real difference only when backed by proper planning and adequate financial resources. In this context, she said, the budget remains the government’s most powerful policy instrument.
Clarifying the concept, Aier said Gender Responsive Budgeting is not a separate budget for women, nor is it about allocating equal amounts for men and women. Rather, it is about examining 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. This, she said, makes public spending more efficient, equitable, and impactful.
She informed that in Nagaland, the process of gender budgeting was initiated in 2009–10, with the Planning & Transformation Department serving as the nodal department to guide other departments in integrating gender perspectives into their plans. Gender Budgeting Cells have been constituted to institutionalise the effort and to support departments in tracking and improving their interventions.
The objective of the training, she said, is to build awareness and practical skills among officers to integrate gender concerns into planning, budgeting, and monitoring. It will also help assess whether programmes are reaching the intended beneficiaries, whether resources are being used efficiently, and whether outcomes are contributing to reducing existing gaps.
Aier further stressed that Gender Responsive Budgeting is not the responsibility of a single department. Every department, whether in the social or economic sector, has a role to play, as every policy and programme has a gender impact. A budget that is not examined through a gender lens risks being gender-blind, she added.
She encouraged participants to engage actively in the sessions and reflect on how the tools and ideas shared can be applied in their respective departments.
Joint Secretary (Retd.), Government of India, Rajesh Saxena, is the resource person for the two-day training. (Siizo Kikhi, IA)
