Direct cash transfers to women can transform lacklustre welfare schemes
May 31, 2013, 12.00AM IST
In banding together to form a vigilante group to tackle the menace of alcoholism, the women of Banauli village in Bihar's Rohtas district have once again highlighted women power. The Durga Vahini isn't afraid to use brooms and sticks to set their abusive husbands straight. The group's activities — which have earned it the support of the local administration — are reminiscent of the Gulabi Gang in UP`s Banda district. Started in 2006, the pink sari-clad, stick-wielding sisterhood has today evolved into a movement that not only intervenes on behalf of abused women, but also brings about systemic changes by confronting authorities about administrative lacunae.
Both the Durga Vahini and the Gulabi Gang represent the power of women as agents of social change. However, that the weakest section of society can also be the most effective catalyst of development is a concept that hasn't been fully exploited in India. It is necessary to tweak our welfare schemes to utilise the catalytic potential of women to make benefits go further. Besides, given the role women play in their families, they would serve as natural checks against the wastage that is the bane of government welfare schemes.
Take for example the proposed food security Bill. Once implemented it would exponentially increase the government`s foodgrain sourcing obligations and put greater pressure on a dysfunctional public distribution system known for pilferage and diversions. It would also expand the bureaucracy, making distribution of foodgrain a nightmarish proposition. However, if the government were to switch to direct cash transfers to women through an Aadhaar-linked mechanism, it could kill two birds with the same stone — cut wastage and ensure proper utilisation of subsidies.
Conditional and non-conditional cash transfer schemes in developing countries have shown that direct subsidies given to women do far more to improve the economic health of families and reduce inter-generational poverty than giving the benefits to men. Brazil`s Bolsa Familia programme, that provides conditional cash transfers to female household heads, has qualitatively improved primary education and household health parameters in that country. Mexico`s Oportunidades scheme has successfully aided health and nutritional objectives in poor households. In Bangladesh, the success of the Grameen Bank in fighting poverty vindicates its policy of microcredit exclusively to women. A similar shift in India`s welfare schemes towards direct cash transfers to women would galvanise poverty alleviation efforts and truly empower the fairer sex.