Jaipur: Over 40 govt departments did not spend budgeted funds on 92 schemes under gender budgeting in 2023-24, depriving benefits to a large section of women and girl children.In its report, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said Rs 1,100 crore sanctioned for these schemes remained fully unutilised.Under Shubhlakshmi Yojana, the govt encourages the birth of girls and funds their education. All the Rs 40 crore sanctioned for 2023-24 under the scheme remained unspent, according to the govt watchdog.Similarly, Rs 25 crore budgeted for the Rajiv Gandhi Kishori Girls Empowerment scheme, which was supposed to be implemented by ICDS, Rs 10 crore for Nari Niketan Bhawan under the purview of the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, and Rs 29 crore for the PG Institute of Maternity and Neonatology remained unspent.Gender budgeting was introduced for the welfare of women, and the Women Empowerment Department was made the nodal agency.“Audit observed that the state govt made token provision in various schemes and without augmentation of provision, the entire provision was surrendered,” said the CAG report. tnn
