Women get more praise, less moolah

Minor hike in allocation to women and child devpt ministry

New Delhi, Feb. 1: The budget allocated to the women and child development ministry stood at Rs 25,172.28 crore in 2022-23, a slight increase of 3 per cent from Rs 24,435 crore that was given in 2021-22.

Presenting the budget for 2022-23, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said recognising the importance of ‘Nari Shakti’ as the harbinger of India’s bright future and for women-led development during the ‘Amrit Kaal’, the government has comprehensively revamped the schemes of the ministry.

Accordingly, Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 were launched recently to provide integrated benefits to women and children.

The budget allocated for Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 (Umbrella ICDS – Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyan, Scheme for Adolescent Girls) was Rs 20,263 crore, a small increase from Rs 20,105 crore in 2021-22.

The budget allocated for Mission Shakti (Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women) was Rs 3,184 crore in 2022-23, increased from Rs 3,109 crore in 2021-22.

For Mission VATSALYA (Child Protection Services and Child Welfare Services), the budget allocated was Rs 1,472 crore, an increase from Rs 900 crore in 2021-22.

The budget allocation for autonomous bodies dropped from Rs 188 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 152 crore in 2022-23. These autonomous bodies include – Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and National Commission for Women.

The Finance Minister, in her budget speech, also announced that two lakh anganwadis will be upgraded under the Saksham Anganwadis scheme.