News Highlight
Over the past three years, over 50% of existing central-government-sponsored schemes have been discontinued, subsumed, revamped or rationalised into other schemes.
Key Takeaway
- For example, for the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, there are just three schemes now out of 19 schemes
- Mission Shakti
- Mission Vatsalya
- Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0
- Mission Shakti itself replaced 14 schemes which included the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme.
The impact of fund cuts on schemes
- Agriculture
- Public fund allocation for NPK fertilisers (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) was 35% lower than revised estimates in FY21-Â22.
- Such budgetary cuts, when fertiliser prices have risen sharply after the Ukraine war, have led to fertiliser shortages and farmer anguish.
- In the case of the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairy, just two schemes remain out of 12.
- Social security
- The Nirbhaya fund (2013), focusing on funding projects to improve the public safety of women in public spaces and encourage their participation in economic and social activities, is an interesting case.
- As of FY 21-22, approximately ₹6,214 crores was allocated to the fund since its launch, but only ₹4,138 crores was disbursed.
- Women continue to face significant risks while in public spaces.
- Employment programmes
- The allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) went down by approximately 25% in the FY22Â-23 Budget earlier this year, with the allocated budget at ₹73,000 crores when compared to the FY21-Â22 revised estimates of ₹98,000 crores.
- The decline of the funding led to a decline in confidence in the scheme.
- Health
- For Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), who are the first responders, there are salary delays for up to six months.
- Regularisation of their jobs continues to be a struggle, with wages and honorariums stuck at minimum levels.
- Environment and ecology
- Funding for wildlife habitat development under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has declined: from ₹165 crores ( FY18Â-19), to ₹124.5 crores (FY19Â-20), to ₹87.6 crores (FY20Â-21).
- Allocations for Project Tiger have been slashed — ₹323 crores ( FY18Â19) to ₹194.5 crores ( FY20Â-21).
Way forward
- Rationalising the schemes
- Rather than downsizing government schemes and cutting funding, rationalising the schemes.
- Corporate social responsibility
- The government has to encourage companies to spend their Corporate social responsibility on social welfare programs.
- Evaluation and monitoring
- The government has to evaluate and monitor the existing scheme and make decisions judiciously and wisely.
- Direct Benefit Transfer
- The Direct Benefit Transfer has to strengthen and make sure every public spending should reach the targeted beneficiaries.
- Social Audit
- Every scheme should be subject to social auditing, which helps to get accurate scheme results.
Content Source: The Hindu