India, April 7 -- Election season is here with gender friendly promises galore. These offerings are easy to dismiss as sops offered in exchange for votes. But political parties and the public alike should understand these, especially unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) through a gendered lens centred on women's unpaid work. Only by adopting short term, medium term and long-term strategies can we breathe life into these promises to make them gender transformative irrespective of which party comes to power.

Let's start with UCTs. The DMK and AIADMK have promised Rs.2,000 per month and the TVK Rs.2,500. The DMK builds on its Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thittam (KMUT) implemented from 2023. The government notification presented KMUT as a rights...