Gender Budgeting - Energy

Dr. Jyoti ParikhExecutive Director

Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe)

Introduction

• “Fifty eight years after independence, Indian women still toil daily to collect fuel wood, crop residues and animal dung. Its time to make an impact on the lives of women who live in the 19th century, if not in the 16th century. ”

“Although this is another first in budget making in India, it is only a beginning……. all departments will be required to present gender budgets as well as make benefit incidence analysis.” -Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in Budget 2005 speech

Why clean fuels for women?Modern/ Not Modern is Relative

• Modern or Clean: LPG, Electricity, Biogas, Kerosene

• Lighting: Dirty Fuels Inferior/ Not modern

• Cooking: Cleaner Fuels (Pressure Stove) Less Clean (Wick Stove)

• Kerosene is superior compared to bio-fuels• Could be bought in flexible quantity with low fixed costs

with more distribution network than LPG

Current Indian scenario – Energy

Household energy – Rural India95.6% of households (HHs) use biofuels89 million households spend 31 billion

hours annually in biofuel gathering16.5% use kerosene for cooking5.4% use LPG for cooking. Most of them

however use multiple fuels0.3% HHs use Biogas for cooking63% of HHs are electrified

Current Indian scenario – Energy contd…

Accessibility of electricity vs use of clean fuels for cooking ((population in million))

Fuels Electricity (Yes)

Electricity (No)

Total

Kerosene/ LPG(Yes)

94 23 117

Kerosene/ LPG(No)

352 273 625

Total 446 296 742

SOURCE: Census 2001 data

“People without fuels much larger in number than without electricity”

Electricity? Or Fuels? Why more electricity? Why not fuels?

Politically or technically electricity is pushed more than fuels despite the fact that it is costlier than providing fuel

“Electricity for all” goal since mid seventies

Rural Electrification Corporation

Less Empowerment of Women

Special Targets and budgets (insufficient)

Is providing fuels such a formidable task?

Drudgery in Collection of Fuels

Women have to walk every month in the state , spending 23 hours during 8 trips, each of about 3 kms to fetch fuels

Distance travelled Households

HHs collecting from up to 1 km 42%

HHs collecting between 1 - 2 km 50%

HHs collecting from 2 - 3 km 5%

HHs collecting from more than 3 km 3%

Average time spent per trip (hours) 2. 9

Average no. of trips per household per month 8.0

Average time spent per month per household 40.8%

Time and efforts for collection of fuelwoods

IRADe survey : Uttar Pradesh

Health impacts of Collection of Fuels

– Results in backache (50%), neck ache, headache and bruises every week (80 %)

– 19% persons in HP have some symptoms

Main health problems due to fuel wood - weekly

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problems

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(%)

Shimla Sirmour

IRADe survey : Himachal Pradesh

Economic Impacts:All India Rural

• Can be viewed at least as an economic problem if not a drudgery problem.

• In Rural India– Nearly 3 billion days are spent in gathering

fuels and 700 million days in processing them – About 800 million days are spent due to

diseases – Add to these 12 billion days to fetch water and

water related diseases

Impact on MDG (Current Indian scenario)

Infant and under 5 mortality rate in India are amongst the highest in the world. India’s child mortality rate at 87 is higher than even its poor neighbours Bangladesh (69), Bhutan (85) and Nepal(82).

Source: Securing health – citizens report on MDGs

The most recent estimates put Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in India as 408.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2

Energy and Millenium Development Goal (MDG) attainment

Millenium Development

Goals

How energy can help?

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality (by 66% the

mortality rate)Goal 5: Improve maternal health

(by 75% the maternity mortality rates)

•Indoor air pollution•Fuel supply•Work burden•Kerosene and LPG

Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability

Goal 8: Safe drinkingWater and Sanitation

•Deforestation•Indoor pollution•Climate change•Water & sanitation•Energy consumption

Women’s PerceptionsWish to shift to clean fuels. Why?

Yes (82.5%) No (17.5%)

Reason Response % Reason Response %

Convenient (to turn on/off)

18.00 It is expensive 49.00

Time Saving 39.00 The place is too far 5.00

Cleaner Household 36.00 Supply is Inadequate

7.50

Easy Accessibility 7.00 We do not need it 26.00

We Forgo our Share of Ration

12.50

Total 100.00 Total 100.00

Example in HP, Shimla

Women’s Perceptions Willingness to pay

Purchase of Kerosene

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Tamil Nadu Rajasthan HP UP

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Ration Price %hhMarket Price% hh

Budgeting for gender IEnergy

• A national mission on “Cooking fuel availability to rural women within 1km”similar to Rajiv Gandhi mission for drinking water

-For example, women groups can form tree growing cooperatives

• Micro enterprise development• Policy needs to go beyond cooking energy• Paradigm shift from subsidy mind sets to micro credit

and loans (to encourage SHGs)• Access to energy as promotional incentives for

running small-scale energy business units

Budgeting for gender IIEmployment & Capacity building

• Enhance the employment opportunities for women• Promotion of local resources • Continuation of current programs• Provide special trainings and special fellowships

for Women • Capacity building and assistance to manage

energy programs • Widen access to rural electrification, including

decentralized programs • “Indhan, Pani, Bijlee”should be given political

priority over “Indhan, Bijlee”

Budgeting for gender IIIHealth

• Sensitize health centers• Spot respiratory diseases from indoor air

pollution• Reduce daily drudgery: only then can

women spend time generating income• Gender should be fully taken into account

Budgeting for gender IVEducation

• Launching mass education programmes especially for the girl child to achieve the MDG

• Use of media and electronic communication to educate the public and raise awareness

• Dissemination activities/information sharing national, international experiences

“One-third of India’s total energy, is ‘managed’ mostly by women with too little inputs of investment, management or technology (IMT) and no political or administrative backing. These women energy suppliers or “managers” need to be helped without taking this role away from them and instead provide them IMT and improve their lives.”

Jyoti Parikh, Business Standard

Thank you