SFI-CEC | 23 July 2024 | SFI

Despite urgent issues facing India's children, such as 36% being stunted and 32% underweight, the 2024 budget reflects a lack of prioritization for critical interventions. Anganwadis, which are essential in providing nutrition to young mothers and children, as well as early childhood education linked to later educational performance, have seen a budget cut of 1.5%, from Rs. 21,523 crores in 2023 budget (revised estimates) to Rs. 21,000 crores in the 2024-25 budget. This reduction signifies that the government does not consider enhancing the infrastructure and capacity of Anganwadis a priority, despite their crucial role in improving nutrition.

The 25% increase in the PM-Poshan scheme (which includes the mid-day meal program) from ₹10,000 crores in the 2023 budget (revised estimates) to ₹12,467,39 crores in the 2024-25 budget is a welcome step. However, this increase is somewhat undermined when compared to the 2022 allocation of ₹12,680.97 crores, reflecting a reduction. This mirrors the government's lack of seriousness in addressing nutritional deficiencies, similar to the reduction in funding for Anganwadis, Both indicate a troubling trend where critical nutrition programs are not receiving the robust support needed to tackle the severe malnutrition issues facing India's children.

It is estimated that over 70 million children in India complete primary school without foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Inadequate school infrastructure contributes significantly to these poor learning outcomes. A report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development revealed that nearly 44% of government schools lack access to electricity.

The 2024 budget fails to address these pressing issues, with no specific projects or emphasis on improving infrastructure and learning in government schools. The overall increase in the school education and literacy budget is less than 1%. with the allocation rising from 272,474 crores in the 2023 budget (revised estimates) to 273,008 crores in the 2024-25 budget. This minimal increase starkly contrasts with the Kothari Commission and National Education Policy (NEP) recommendations to allocate 6% of GDP to education.

In higher education, the budget reflects an alarming 17% cut overall. Of particular concern is the drastic reduction in funding for the University Grants Commission (UGC), which has been slashed to Rs 2500 crore from the previous year's revised estimate of Rs 6409 crore, marking a steep drop of over 60%. Scholarships for college and university students and the Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir have been merged into the PM-USP scheme. This scheme also includes an interest subsidy during the moratorium period on educational loans taken by students. Merging so many schemes into one makes it difficult to track actual expenditure on specific heads and hold the government accountable.

In summary, the budget falls short in addressing the critical needs of India's education sector. The reduction in funding for Anganwadis and the negligible increase in the school education budget indicate that the government does not prioritize the foundational and infrastructural improvements necessary for the nation's children to thrive educationally and nutritionally. The significant cuts in higher education funding further jeopardize the quality and accessibility of education, underscoring a troubling lack of commitment to the future of India's youth.

Sd/

Mayukh Biswas (General Secretary, SFI)

VP Sanu (President, SFI)