Budget 2024: These are the many hopes and aspirations of India's social development sector

As India prepares for the upcoming Union Budget in February — exactly after two days from today, the country’s social development sector seeks policy decisions that address critical issues and accelerates progress towards a more equitable and prosperous society. With agriculture being a primary source of livelihood in India, it is crucial that the government allocates special funds and farming status to the agricultural community. Besides these, the education needs to be proliferated in the agricultural community and there should be more integration of digital literacy in rural India. Below are some of the expectations of India’s social development sector from the government around the budget: 1. Providing ‘Farmer’ status to Women: While the Interim budget is expected to allocate additional money to the Agriculture Accelerator Fund, which will be instrumental in bringing on board new-age ventures and innovations in the field of agriculture, Budget 2024-25 needs to look at giving women more recognition and empowerment in agriculture. Around 78 per cent of India’s employed women work in agriculture. As per the Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey, 2021-2022, agriculture has the highest estimated female labour force participation of 62.9 per cent. The rural women in India are contributing to this sector for many years, but mostly as labourers in their own farms and not ‘Farmers’. It is crucial that the government gives farmer status to women, so that women can avail the government schemes and subsidies that are given to Indian farmers. Farmer status will give women access to institutional credit, Kisan credit cards, which will help them accelerate their agricultural work. Land ownership will further enhance their decision-making power, and contribute to their financial empowerment. 2. Dedicated fund for rural women: Like the Agriculture Accelerator Fund, aimed at helping and promoting agri-startups, there is a crucial need to establish a dedicated fund specifically aimed at empowering women farmers and cultivators. This special fund would enhance financial access for women in agriculture, fostering their growth and development. The government should actively encourage the establishment of additional Female Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and facilitate the federation of these groups. This strategic approach will integrate more women into the agricultural sector, thereby enhancing their contribution to uplifting the lives of women, their families, and entire villages. Female FPOs play a crucial role in providing a platform for women farmers to voice their concerns, ensuring their active participation and representation in the agricultural landscape. 3. Providing social safety net in housing: India’s rural communities have been facing  many livelihoods and development challenges, which increased manifold due to the pandemic. Thus, it is imperative to fortify the social safety net to ensure their welfare and promote sustainable livelihoods. The budget should prioritise a substantial investment in social housing as a flagship initiative for the social sector. State governments and cities should be incentivised to prioritise social housing over profit, while eliminating unnecessary government levies and duties which contribute to a 30% increase in housing costs. Correspondingly, capacitating individuals with pertinent skills can improve their employability and contribute to economic growth. For instance, women often encounter initial setbacks, while developing the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) as sustainable business enterprises. To address this, we propose extending the government’s support from the current three years to a more realistic five-year period under the 10,000 FPOs scheme. This extended support is vital for the survival of women-led FPOs. The supporting partner, often an NGO functioning as a Cluster Based Business Organisation (CBBO), plays a crucial role in enabling FPOs. With this extended timeframe, they have the necessary time and bandwidth to actively engage with women in the FPOs. Engagement involves assisting women in adapting to the unfamiliar concepts of creating business plans, establishing market linkages, and other essential aspects. Recognising that these concepts may be alien to women, it is imperative to provide adequate time for them to absorb and incorporate these practices seamlessly into their natural farming processes. The expectations of the social development sector have been set, keeping in mind the holistic development of the sector, especially inclusive development of the rural women, whose contribution is significant and integral to the development of our country and society. The author, Saroj Kumar Mahapatra, is Executive Director of PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action), a voluntary organisation that works across seven of the poorest states in India with rural families to improve their lives, by instigating systems that expand sustainable livelihood opportunities. The views expressed are personal. This piece was first published in CNBCTV18.