Cash transfers for women: Do they challenge gender norms on unpaid care work?

In Focus by The Hindu · Aug 26, 2026 · 49m

Unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) for women have become extremely popular. So far, more than 14 states have done it, benefiting 120 million women. The monthly payouts range from Rs833 to Rs2,500. State governments spend more than Rs2 lakh crore annually on such schemes. But at the same time, at least six such states projected a revenue deficit for 2025-26, pointing to the growing fiscal pressure due to the rapid expansion of women-centric cash transfers. There is a raging debate on whether unconditional cash transfers are crowding out state expenditure on social infrastructure such as…