A Bhutanese delegation presently on a tour of Madhya Pradesh to study concept, process and progress of gender budgeting has lauded the schemes and results of schemes for all-round development of women as well as State’s political leadership and administrative efficiency.
Chief Budget Officer of Bhutan’s National Budget and the team leader stated this during a meeting with Women and Child Development Minister Maya Singh here on Monday. Commissioner Women’s Empowerment Kalpana Shrivastava was also present on the occasion.
The 15-member Bhutanese delegation arrived at Bhopal this morning. The delegation has come to India to study gender response budgeting. Since Madhya Pradesh is the role model in this sphere, UN Woman has sent the delegation from Bhutan to the state for implementation of such concept within a short time.
Team leader Namgayel Wangchuk informed Minister Maya Singh that after seeing efforts in Madhya Pradesh, he is astonished as to how the state could implement this concept in such a short span of time. He said that his team members are glad to know that political leadership here is sensitive towards women. He described women’s empowerment schemes in the state including ladli laxmi and Shaurya Dal as remarkable. He said that it is the results of state leadership’s strong will power that the state is pioneer in the country in protecting women’s rights.
Wangchuk said that he wishes to keep in constant touch with Madhya Pradesh for implementation of gender response budgeting. He said that expertise to meet challenges, networking and experience cannot be obtained from anywhere else except Madhya Pradesh.
The Bhutanese study team also met members of Shaurya Dals constituted in Shanti Nagar and Satnami Nagar under Ayodhya Nagar. lauding works undertaken by Shaurya Dal, they said that it is novel effort to empower women with the cooperation of community. The delegation also watched a Power Point presentation of gender budgeting.
The Minister reciprocated the Bhutanese delegation for its praise of efforts for protection of women’s rights in the state and assured that Madhya Pradesh will extend all possible cooperation to Bhutan in this respect.
Informing about government’s welfare schemes and programmes, she informed the delegation that gender response budget is prepared in only 5 states of the country. Madhya Pradesh is among the 2 states where gender budget is tabled in Vidhan Sabha.
She said that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan empowers State’s women socially, politically and economically. It has yielded positive results. It is the endeavour of his Government that women of the state become most capable and self-reliant in the world.