New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) The allocation for children in the interim Budget for fiscal year 2024-25 has witnessed a notable increase, reaching Rs 109,493.08 crore but the budget for children under Ministry of Minority Affairs has declined, according to an analysis by child rights NGO CRY.
The interim Budget marks a substantial rise of Rs 5,702.38 crore from the previous year’s Budget Estimate (BE) of Rs 103,790.70 crore.
Child rights body Child Rights and You (CRY) analysed the Budget allocation with respect to children across various ministries.
While the overall allocation has seen growth, concerns have been raised over specific sectors.
The allocation for children under the ministry of minority affairs (MoMA) has declined by Rs 64.76 crore from Rs 1,582.10 crore in 2023-24 (BE) to Rs 1,517.34 crore (2024-25 Budget Estimate).
“This is a decline of 4.09 per cent. However, there has been an increase in the post-matric scholarship by 7.55 per cent from Rs 1,065 crore in 2023-24 (BE) to Rs 1,145.38 crore in 2024-25 (BE). Pre-matric scholarship for minorities has suffered a cut in Budget allocation from Rs 433 crore in 2023-24 (BE) to Rs 326.16 crore in 2024-25 (BE),” the analysis said.
Similarly, allocation under merit-cum-means based scholarship under MoMA has declined from Rs 44 crore in 2023-24 (BE) to Rs 33.80 crore in 2024-25 (BE).
The overall proportion of the child Budget to the Union Budget remains constant at 2.30 per cent, suggesting that despite the increase in the overall Budget, the share allocated to children’s welfare has not seen a proportional rise.
In terms of GDP, the percentage share of the child Budget has marginally decreased from 0.34 per cent in 2023-24 (BE) to 0.33 per cent in 2024-25 (BE), CRY said.
Among the noteworthy allocations, the Mission Vatsalya Budget has stayed constant at Rs 1,472.17 crore.
Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 have seen a 3.14 per cent increase, reaching Rs 18,020 crore.
Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, referred to as Poshan 2.0, is an Integrated Nutrition Support Programme aimed at combating malnutrition among children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Similarly, Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN), formerly known as mid-day meal, has witnessed a 7.48 per cent rise, totalling Rs 12,467.39 crore.
In the education sector, the allocation for Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) has increased by 7.89 per cent, reaching Rs 6,394.78 crore. PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) has seen a significant boost of 51.25 per cent, rising from Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 6,050 crore.
Health-related allocations have increased in the Flexible pool for RCH and Health System Strengthening, NHP and NUHM with an estimated allocation of Rs 3,571.43 crore for 2024-25 (BE), up from Rs 3,187.17 crore in the previous year.
Puja Marwaha, CEO of CRY, acknowledged the overall increase in the Child Budget but emphasised that the share of allocation to the Union Budget remained constant at 2.30 per cent.
CRY welcomed the focus on vaccination against cervical cancer for girls aged 9-14 years, considering the alarming statistics of cervical cancer deaths in India.
Sudarshan Suchi, CEO of Bal Raksha Bharat, praised the Budget’s focus on empowering women, viewing it as a strategic investment in future generations.
The organisation commended schemes like direct cash transfers, skill development programmes and interest-free loans for women, emphasising the positive impact on children and families.
Ravi Kant, convener of Child Marriage Free India, expressed concern over the persistent issue of child marriages and called for a special budgetary allocation to ensure education access for all girls until the age of 18. PTI UZM UZM KSS KSS
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