Budget 2019: Will Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Be Able To Meet These Big Expectations Of Women?

That time of the year has arrived when people get a clearer picture of how their upcoming year will be and what will be their major expenditures and savings. Yes, we are talking about the Union Budget which helps us plan our monetary issues for a year. Expectations of women of the country are high as this the first time that a full-fledged woman Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, will table the budget in Parliament. Women play a very important role in maintaining as well as controlling the household budget and the decisions taken by the Fin Min of the country need to take into account this as well. It may not be an easy task for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government during the Union Budget 2019 as they have to meet varied the varied expectations of the people of India, based on which they voted him to power for the second consecutive term.

According to a survey conducted on 1300 odd women, it was concluded that most of them expect the government to bring down skyrocketing fees that they have to shell out for their children's academics. The survey was conducted on women having either one or two kids.

From school fees, books, uniforms, admission fees, examination fees to school bus fees, traveling allowance, pocket money, hit a lot on women to maintain their budget. Women feel that they cannot even comprise the future of their children by minimising their expenditure on any of the aforesaid things.

Surabhi Joshi, a resident of Kolkata and a mother of two, says that her budget goes for toss meeting the surging school fees and other costs relating to education. Surabhi's son is in Upper KG while her daughter has been promoted to grade 6. Her children study in the same school. Surabhi said that when she got her daughter admitted to a school, she had to pay Rs 75,000 and when she got her son admitted to the same school, she had to pay Rs 1.5 lakhs. Surabhi also said that the school has been increasing fees by almost 40 per cent every academic year which is really difficult to cope with.

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She further said that different uniforms for different activities, branded sports shoes, stationery, books and reference books, projects are also weighing on her household budget. "If you want your child to attain education in a good English medium, private school, you end up spending up to 75 per cent of salary on it," Surabhi said.

You can find many mothers sharing similar problem like Surabhi Joshi and are finding it difficult to manage their budget. All are pinning hope on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam as she will present her maiden budget on July 5, 2019 and waiting to see if their expectations will be met by her.

In the Union Budget 2018-19, the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allocated ₹ 850 billion to the education fund, which was increased by 10 per cent in the interim budget 2019 at ₹ 938 billion.

Let us know what women expect from Nirmala Sitharaman in Union Budget 2019.

School/College Fees

Women are expecting that the budget will announce a cut in school and college fees. If not so, at least a cap in fees of the student up to class 8 should be imposed for so that private schools don't charge unnecessarily.

Books & Extra Curricular Activities

A cap should be imposed on prices of books, reference books and uniforms for various extracurricular activities including those for sports day, picnic day. The government should consider providing a subsidy in books.

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Day Care & Crèche

In the interim budget of 2019, the National Crèche Scheme saw a reduction in budgetary allocation from ₹ 200 crore to ₹ 128 crores. The scheme was beneficial for working women.

School/College Canteen

The government can implement some scheme by which children can get some subsidy in the food served in school and college canteens.

Scholarship

In the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, it was announced that every child and teacher will be provided with a smart device but that has not been done till date. It is expected to come into effect in the 2019-2020 budget. Apart from this, the government has decided to give 20,000 per admission (higher education) to each student whose family income is less than ₹ 5 lakh. It is expected that it will be brought in this budget.

Educating Teacher

Every year, the budget lays provision for teachers' education and training system. It is expected that allocation in this may be increased this budget. For a better future of children, it is important to provide them with good education and it is also necessary to keep a check on budget on these expenses.