Policy experts disappointed by Budget’s silence on women and marginalised sections
The Hindu
‘The gender budget has shrunk from 4.4% to 4.3% for the financial year 2023’
This year’s Union Budget will not be known for its schemes for women or marginalised sections, as it has ignored existing lacunae in the system and further reduced expenditure in this regard, said leading economic policy experts at an online panel discussion organised by the Department of Women’s Studies, Bharathidasan University on Wednesday.
Speakers at the meeting titled ‘Gender, the Marginalised and Union Budget 2022-2023’ the academics expressed their disappointment at the shrinking of investment in crucial areas such as employment generation and education. The stress on technology in schooling had also overlooked the prevailing digital illiteracy among women, especially in rural areas, they added.
Everyone talks about the Airport Metro, but one look at the pillars and completion seems nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, a faster, cheaper, roomier alternative called the Suburban Rail Airport Corridor is finally getting off the drawing board. This dedicated corridor with its specialised coaches will link the airport to vast stretches of Bengaluru, where the metro connection is still years away.