Shillong, Feb 23: The state government on Monday announced a Rs 6,849-crore gender budget, which is about 21% of the total budget allocation for 2026-27.
The gender budget this year is Rs 629.7 crore more than the previous year, with 38 departments contributing to the uplift of women. Over five years, the gender budget has expanded from Rs 3,689 crore, a growth from 19.5% to 21.4% of the total budget.
The gender budget has two parts — Part A (Rs 1,609 crore or 23.5% of the gender budget) consisting of maternal health, social protection, women’s safety and livelihood support; and Part B (Rs 5,239 crore or 76.5% of the gender budget) comprising development in sectors such as education, health systems, rural development, water supply, skill development and urban services.
Stages of development
According to the gender budget document, the government has allocated Rs 141.23 crore to strengthen the support chain from pregnancy through the first months after birth.
Since 2019, the government has built 51 health units and upgraded 544 centres. Through its MOTHER app, it has tracked over 3.4 lakh pregnancies since 2019, leading to an improvement in on-time antenatal visits and referrals.
For Early Childhood Development (ECD), the government has earmarked about Rs 338 crore. The amount allocated for childhood and adolescence stage is about Rs 1,642 crore. Over the years, it has rolled out various schemes for the development and nurturing of girls in academics and sports.
The youth and skilling section has received about Rs 327 crore to help young women gain market-ready skills, secure jobs or start enterprises.
