This year, even as there have been major increases in spending on health and education, child protection has again received step-motherly treatment. Total spending on schemes that promote child rights has been abysmally low
It is disheartening that like past years, the share for children remained stagnant in the Union Budget 2017-2018, with the Government allocating just 3.32 per cent to them. While the need is that of exponential increase, allocation for children has seen only an incremental increase from Rs657,58.45 crore in 2016-2017 to Rs71,305.35 crore in the Budget that was presented early this month.
The National Plan of Action for Children (NPAC) that was released recently, chalked out targets for children for the next five years and recommended that at least five per cent of the Union Budget must be spent on schemes and programmes directly related to the children.
Sadly, the Budget failed to meet the recommendations of the NPAC. The increase has been largely in four children related schemes. First, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) from Rs22,500 crore to Rs23,500 crore. Second, the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDM) from Rs9,700 crore to Rs10,000 crore. Third, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) from Rs14,000 crore to Rs15,245 crore, an increase of Rs1,245 crore. Fourth is the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scheme which saw a rise of Rs339 crore — from Rs2114.99 crore in 2016-17 to Rs2454.42 crore this year.
However, an increase of Rs1,245 crore under the ICDS scheme, catering to care, nutrition and education of 13.9 crore children under the age of six years, is not as significant as it seems.
This year, when the NPAC visions change for children for the next five years, our investment in foundational years of childhood remains the same as it was five years ago ie in 2012-13.
In absolute terms, the allocation was Rs15,765 crore (2012-13) as against the Rs15,245 crore allocation this year. Within this allocation, Rs500 crore has been allocated for Mahila Shakti Centres.
At present, ICDS caters to only 50 per cent of these children under age of six and in no way this increase is enough to ensure universal coverage, let alone the vision of Anganwadi-cum-creches becoming a reality.
Incentives for girls education, which has seen a systematic downfall in recent years, have seen some improvement with an increase in allocation of Rs275 crore in incentive for secondary education. While the Government, in this Budget has clearly demonstrated focus on the development of SCs/ST, by increasing the allocation by 35 per cent, it is disheartening to see a decrease in allocation by 35 per cent for measures which ensure equity and inclusion of SC/ST/OBC children.
The Budget allocated by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment towards pre and post matric fellowships, hostels has decreased from Rs985.5 crore to Rs638.93 crore. The pre-matric scholarship for SCs, for instance, has been reduced drastically from Rs459 crore to Rs45 crore.
We are still struggling to meet Right to Education targets and fulfil huge gaps in areas like teacher vacancy, infrastructure and quality learning. The mere increase in allocation of Budget in SSA by Rs1305 crore will be distributed among 10,80,757 elementary schools in India.
The scheme for child protection saw a revival in the revised estimate stage last year (from Rs397 crore to Rs597 crore) and has seen further increase of Rs50 crore in the 2017-18 budget at Rs648 crore.
Hopes for an early revival of the National Nutrition Mission, which has been in the pipeline for over two years, have also resurfaced, with an allocation of Rs,1100 crore as against Rs360 crore which was largely unutilised in 2015-16.
(The writer is director, Policy, Research and Advocacy for CRY — Child Rights and You)