Kay Benedict

New Delhi: P Chidambaram has come under an avalanche of pressure from the fair sex for a gender sensitive budget.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, high-profile women and child development minister Renuka Chowdhury, dimpled Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, social welfare minister Meira Kumar, firebrand CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat’s own All-India Democratic Women’s Association and an assortment of other women’s groups have separately met the finance minister inn the last one week with a ‘wish list’ to empower women.

The astute financial wizard has only smiled, not made any commitments, even as Zinta grabbed all the attention, sources said, adding, however, that indications are he would not let down the weaker sections and farmers this time.

The Bollywood heroine had a special request for Chidambaram – to exempt sanitary napkins from the valueadded tax (VAT) regime.

Most women, especially in the villages, still use unhygienic napkins. Renuka Chowdhury has backed the demand.

A 35-member women’s team led by Chowdhury and comprising Zinta, Meira Kumar and a sprinkle of housewives, lawyers and textile workers called on the finance minister on Monday with a long list of demands for gender budgeting.

Chidambaram had earlier called on Sonia Gandhi to discuss some aspects of such as budgeting.

On Wednesday, the AICC backed the demand put forward by the women’s team led by Chowdhury.

Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said the party would make a fervent appeal to the finance minister to present a budget that would benefit women, the common man, farmers and the disadvantaged sections of society.

She said, “We would appeal to the finance minister to give special attention to measures that impact women in all sections of society.”

Sonia Gandhi again on Wednesday in the company of Chidambaram stressed the importance of empowerment and development of women.

Addressing a function at Rae Bareli, the Congress president said: “No society can prosper and progress without the contribution of women and no economy can be self-reliant if women are not self-reliant.”

Later, addressing a select gathering in her parliamentary constituency, Gandhi strongly pitched for women self-help groups.

Source : DNA