Karnataka’s gender budget growth slows despite large welfare schemes

Women get less focus

• Karnataka's gender budget growth slowed to 4.6 percent for FY27.
• Gender spending in state budget dropped to 9.1% for FY27.
• Category B allocations for women increased to Rs 54,010 crore.

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Karnataka’s spending on women has slowed in recent years despite the rollout of large direct benefit schemes, with growth in the gender budget moderating sharply over the past two years.

Data shows that the overall gender budget is expected to rise to Rs 94,663 crore in FY27 from Rs 90,493 crore in FY26, marking a 4.6 percent increase. While this is slightly higher than the 1.2 percent growth recorded in FY26, it remains far below the sharp expansion seen earlier in the decade.

The share of gender spending—specifically targeted towards women—in the overall state budget has also declined. It fell from 11.3 percent in FY25 to 9.7 percent in FY26, and is expected to fall further to 9.1 percent in FY27, indicating that spending in other sectors has grown faster than allocations to women-focused programmes.

The slowdown comes even as the state continues to run large income-transfer schemes targeted at women. Spending on such programmes, including direct benefit transfers, stood at Rs 28,608 crore in both FY26 and FY27, after rising sharply from Rs 16,964 crore in FY24 and Rs 29,608 crore in FY25.

The Gruha Lakshmi, started in 2023, promises Rs 2,000 per month to the female head of the family.

In absolute terms, however, gender budgeting in the state has expanded significantly over the past few years. Karnataka’s gender budget rose from Rs 44,897 crore in FY22 to Rs 94,663 crore in FY27, more than doubling during the period. The pace of growth, however, has slowed after the initial expansion following the introduction of large welfare schemes.

A closer look at the composition of the gender budget shows that allocations under Category A—schemes exclusively for women—stood at Rs 40,653 crore in FY27, while Category B schemes, where women are significant beneficiaries, amounted to Rs 54,010 crore.

In FY26, Category A spending had slipped to Rs 39,629 crore from Rs 41,654 crore in FY25, before recovering slightly in the latest budget. Category B allocations, meanwhile, have steadily increased from Rs 47,730 crore in FY25 to Rs 54,009 crore in FY27.

While Karnataka continues to allocate significant resources towards women-centric programmes, the latest data suggests the momentum in gender-focused spending has moderated following the sharp rise seen in FY24 and FY25.