Children at an anganwadi in Kollegal, Karnataka. Photo credit: Nayantara Narayanan | Nayantara Narayanan
The Union Budget for 2021-’22 includes significant cuts to the funds allocated towards social welfare programmes such as child and maternal nutrition schemes.
Researchers and activists have expressed concern that several separate schemes for women and children have been clubbed together and jointly allocated funds that are lower than previous years.
These budget cuts come in the wake of a Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown that disrupted the supply of food grains to millions of vulnerable populations across India in 2020.
Integrated Child Development Scheme
The budget for the Integrated Child Development Scheme – an infant and child nutrition scheme that involves running village-level anganwadis or creches – was Rs 20,532 crore in the 2020-’21 budget. This year, however, the ICDS has been clubbed under the Centre’s Saksham scheme, along with the Po