Women and Child Development Ministry's budget hiked by 16 per cent

A sum of Rs 24,435 crore has been set aside for the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry for the next fiscal in the Budget announced on Monday, a 16.31 per cent increase over the 2020-21 financial year.

Out of Rs 24,435 crore, the highest amount has been allocated to the newly announced Saksham Anganwadi and Mission Poshan 2.0 scheme with Rs 20,105 crore.

Poshan 2.0 scheme in an umbrella scheme covering the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyaan, Scheme For Adolescent Girls and the National Creche Scheme.

The amount set aside for the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry is 16 per cent higher over the 2020-21 financial year. In 2020-21, Rs 30,007.09 crore was allocated which was revised to Rs 21,008.31 crore.

The total amount for the social services sector, which includes nutrition and social security and welfare, has been increased from Rs 2,411.80 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 3,575.96 crore in 2021-22.

The schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, One Stop Centres, Swadhar Greh, Child Protection, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Scheme for Adolescent Girls Scheme and Ujjawala have not been allocated anything in this budget.

The budget of the ministry's autonomous bodies - National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), National Commission for Women and Central Social Welfare Board - have been increased in the current budget.

The budget for Mission for Protection and Empowerment of Women has been drastically reduced from Rs 726 crore to Rs 48 crore. In social Services, Rs 783.82 crore was allocated while in the previous fiscal, an amount of Rs 695 crore was allocated.