Centring Care in India’s Economic Policy, Pg 7

• Gender Budget 2025 & Gaps in Care Infrastructure:

• ₹4.49 lakh crore allocated to the Gender Budget, a 37.3% increase from FY24, now forming 8.86% of total Budget.

• However, this rise is mainly due to PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (24% of GB) rather than direct investments in care infrastructure.

• Persistent invisibility of care work in economic planning remains unaddressed.

• Unpaid Care Work & Women’s Economic Disparities:

• Women globally spend 17.8% of their time on unpaid care work, with Indian women shouldering 40% more than counterparts in South Africa & China.

• 53% of Indian women remain out of the labour force due to care responsibilities.

• Poor women juggle 17-19 hours of daily tasks, leading to ‘time poverty’ and impacting economic productivity.

• Policy Solutions:

• Recognizing & Measuring Care Work: Integrate Time-Use Modules into household surveys to quantify care burden.

• Infrastructure Investments: Expand affordable childcare, eldercare & sanitation—only half of Indian villages have household tap connections under Jal Jeevan Mission.

• Urban Challenge Fund (₹1 lakh crore): Encourages PPP models for redeveloping care infrastructure.

• Women’s Decision-Making Role: Inclusion in planning improves efficiency by 6x.

• Unpaid care work must be integrated into economic planning through data-backed policies.

• Investments in childcare, eldercare & assistive tech can boost female workforce participation.

• Gender-responsive budgeting should prioritize care as a central pillar, ensuring it drives economic inclusion rather than being an afterthought.

Mains Mock Question:

Examine the role of unpaid care work in economic policy. How can India integrate care infrastructure into its development planning?