HelpAge India said there were high expectations from the budget given the pandemic which has adversely affected the income, pension and health needs of the nearly 14 crore elderly population. ”The budget has left those unaddressed,” it said.
New Delhi:
NGOs working for the elderly, children, women and the disabled have expressed their displeasure over the budgetary allocation in the social sectors and raised concern over the ”reduction” in funds for various schemes.
The budget allocated to the Women and Child Development Ministry stood at Rs 25,172.28 crore in 2022-23, a slight increase of three per cent from 2021-22 with cut-backs in some schemes.
For the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry, budgetary allocation increased by 12 per cent but the outlay for several schemes has been reduced.
Puja Marwaha, CEO at Child Rights and You (CRY) said, ”While there has been an increase in absolute terms, there has been a reduction in the share of child budget in the overall allocation.” ”In terms of overall allocations, there is an increase of Rs 7,023.94 crore. But compared to last year, there is a 0.11 percentage point reduction in the share of allocation for children. Despite the huge toll the Covid pandemic has taken on children, their share in the budget has further fallen this year,” she said.
This year’s budgetary allocations for children as a proportion of the Union Budget is the lowest in the last 10 years. It has reduced by 2.41 percentage points, Marwaha said.
”In terms of GDP, the percentage share of child budget of the GDP was 0.38 in 2021-22 budgetary estimates, which has dropped to 0.36 in 2022-23.”
The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) said a decline is noted in the allocation for the National Child Labour Project (NCLP). The allocation for NCLP has been reduced to a paltry Rs 30 crore from Rs 120 crore during FY22, it said.
An analysis of the last few years indicates a continuous reduction in the budgetary allocation for NCLP, the foundation said, With a budgetary allocation of Rs 30 crore, the existing institutions which are a part of the project will face great financial distress and may even find it difficult to function, it said.
HelpAge India said there were high expectations from the budget given the pandemic which has adversely affected the income, pension and health needs of the nearly 14 crore elderly population. ”The budget has left those unaddressed,” it said.
Prioritising vaccination of the elderly is commendable. But bolstering and integrating geriatric care within the public health system is an urgent need, HelpAge India said.
”We hope the overall ecosystem takes on an elderly-inclusive approach through the various schemes and provisions put in place, such as enabling senior citizens access within National Digital Health framework and including age-friendly cities in the paradigm shift envisaged in urban planning,” it said.
The National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) alleged that the Budget ”does not reflect the existing socio-economic reality of our country”.
”The ‘Saksham Anganwadi-Poshan 2’, integrating different schemes for health and nutrition of children up to six years and adolescent girls and pregnant and lactating women, did not get a further allocation. Sitharaman said 2 lakh Anganwadis will be upgraded but there is no enhancement in allocation.” The NFIW demanded immediate action and legitimate allocations to address this ”crisis and ensure our constitutional Right to a Life with dignity”.
”It is a budget for increased corporate profit in the name of development and at the cost of the people,” it alleged.
It is imperative that the government addresses malnutrition and anaemia by strengthening the public distribution system, it said.
Muralidharan, the General Secretary of the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), said President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament had rekindled some hopes in the disabled community.
”Such hopes were completely belied the very next day… Unlike last time, which saw a nearly 12 per cent reduction in allocations to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, this time there has been a marginal increase,” he said. Even then, there is a shortfall of Rs. 112.97 crore as compared to the 2020-21 budget estimates, Muralidharan said.
He said even the allocation to the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) has been drastically reduced from Rs 50 crore last year to a mere Rs 0.10 crore this time.