The Hindu : Allocation up for child welfare schemes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 04, 2003

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Allocation up for child welfare schemes

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI MAY 3. The allocation for child-related schemes in the Budget estimates for 2003-04 reflects an increase of seven per cent compared to the estimates of last year. There is a substantial increase in the provision for health and child development and nutrition. Education accounts for the largest share in public expenditure on children, though the relative share of education in the Union Budget shows a decline while one-fifth of expenditure on children is devoted to child development and nutrition.

According to a study conducted in the annual report 2002-03 of the Department of Women and Child Development, the relative share of the health sector has increased from one per cent in 2000-01 to nearly eight per cent in 2003-04.

This is primarily on account of the increase in provision for the programme on immunisation against polio, which now includes a component earlier included in the Reproductive Child Health Programme. This is the first time the department has drawn up a statement of funds provisioning in the Union and the State Budgets for children.

The Department plans to analyse budgetary allocations and expenditure on children, in both Union and State Budgets over a period of 10 years, beginning 2000-01, based on the allocations for schemes meant for the welfare of the children.

In the health sector, the budget estimates for 2003-04 is Rs. 72,746 lakhs. It was Rs. 6,164 lakhs in 2000-01 and Rs. 48,398 lakhs last year. The Government spent Rs. 1,25,338 lakhs on child development and nutrition in 2000-01, Rs. 1,73,431 lakhs last year while the estimate this year is Rs. 2,12,861 lakhs. The budget estimates for education this year is Rs. 6,48,977 lakhs as against Rs. 5,26,901 lakhs last year and Rs. 4,45,330 in 2000-01.

Haryana tops

In the States, Haryana has made the highest allocation followed by Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Nagaland while Tripura has the lowest.

"We may conclude that the commitment to children is reflected in the budgeting exercise. Actual expenditure may, however, fall short of the budgetary allocation for want funds, procedural delays and even slackness in implementation,'' the report points out.

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