Budget for WCD hiked, but no increase in funds for its flagship scheme

Sitharaman told Parliament that two-lakh anganwadis across India would be upgraded under the scheme. “There is a lack of clarity in the finance minister’s announcement that anganwadis will be upgraded. What does this entail, and where is this money coming from, considering there have been no increases in the Budget?” asked Centre for Policy Research (CPR) Fellow Avani Kapur who has authored a report according to which the Rs 20,105 crore earmarked for Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 in 2021-’22 was lower than the Budget Estimates (BEs) the year before for the erstwhile Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme.

In this Budget, the government has allocated Rs 20,261.07 crore, compared to the 20,105 crore earmarked in 2021-22. “This was lower than the sum of its components in the 2020-21 BEs, which stood at Rs 24,557 crore,” said Kapur.

According to her, allocation over the past few years has been decreasing. “For instance, in FY 2019-20 REs, GoI allocations for ICDS stood at Rs 17,705 crore. This decreased by 3 per cent in FY 2020-21 to Rs 17,252 crore. Similarly, allocations for POSHAN Abhiyaan decreased by 82 per cent from Rs 3,400 crore to Rs 600 crore during the same time period,” reads the CPR analysis.

“This has definitely been a disappointment at a time when NFHS 5 [National Family Health Survey-5] figures have shown that in a number of states malnutrition is increasing — and there has not been a corresponding increase in budgetary allocations to tackle this problem — whether it is through Poshan Abhiyan or the mid-day meal scheme,” Kapur added.

In a statement, the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) said the government had slashed funds for schemes related to children. The share of such schemes in the overall Budget had reduced to 2.35 per cent from 2.46 per cent in 2021-’22.

“This share is the lowest allocation for the children since the inception of the Child Budget Statement in FY 2008. Foundation notes with concern that the budget allocation for the Ministry of Women and Child Development has also been reduced by 8%, from Rs 20,401 cr in FY 2020-21 to Rs 18,859 Cr in FY 2022-23. A similar decline is noted in the allocation for the National Child Labour Project, the allocation for which has been reduced to a paltry Rs 30 cr from an allocation of Rs 120 cr during FY22,” it said.