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Union Budget 2026-27 | ‘Budget has overlooked the women who form the backbone of India’s health system’

The overall health allocation rises from Rs 95,957.87 crore to Rs 1,01,709.21 crore, a slight 6% increase.

2 min readPuneUpdated: Feb 1, 2026 07:21 PM IST

The overall health allocation rises from Rs 95,957.87 crore to Rs 1,01,709.21 crore, a slight 6% increase. (Source: Express Archives)

“Whether in healthcare, safety or livelihoods, women continue to be asked to do more. That is not how economies grow, nor how demographic dividends are realised,” said Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director, Population Foundation of India, adding that women-led development is not a welfare agenda.

“It is central to India’s economic future. If Budget 2026 does not decisively invest in women’s health, safety and care systems, we risk missing our demographic opportunity,” Muttreja said.

The overall health allocation rises from Rs 95,957.87 crore to Rs 1,01,709.21 crore, a slight 6% increase. A comparable 5.81 percent increase is seen in the National Health Mission. “However, NHM funding for family welfare decreases from Rs 1,536.97 crore to Rs 1,524.74 crore, and family welfare capital outlays drop by 1.65 percent. These allotments support outreach, frontline worker training, maternity care, and contraception. It is deeply concerning that family welfare allocations are shrinking even as demographic trends show stark regional variation in fertility and unmet need. Reproductive choice cannot be sustained on stagnant or declining budgets,” Muttreja said.

“When most gender spending is folded into general schemes, women become invisible beneficiaries. In the absence of clear targeting, intent rarely translates into impact,” Muttreja added.

She also pointed out that childcare and nutrition remain underfunded. Allocations for Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 rise by only 5 percent. This is inadequate given persistent child malnutrition, the growing need for full-day childcare, and the central role Anganwadis play in enabling women’s participation in the workforce, she said.

“Anganwadis are expected to be nutrition centres, preschools, health hubs, and childcare facilities, but they are funded as if care is not integral. Women cannot work if childcare systems remain weak,” Muttreja emphasised. She was also critical that the budget has overlooked the women who form the backbone of India’s health system.

“Nearly one million ASHAs and thousands of ANMs continue to work under conditions of low pay, insecurity, and limited professional recognition, even as they shoulder expanding responsibilities,” she said.

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