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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Maneka joins opposition in asking finance minister to reverse budget cut for child scheme -Deeptiman Tiwary

Maneka joins opposition in asking finance minister to reverse budget cut for child scheme -Deeptiman Tiwary

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published Published on Mar 21, 2015   modified Modified on Mar 21, 2015
-The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi on Friday put the government in a somewhat embarrassing situation in Lok Sabha when she agreed with opposition members that the severe budget cuts that her ministry faced would adversely affect welfare of children in the country. A vociferous opposition demanded promptly demanded that finance minister Arun Jaitley respond to the issue.

Maneka made the comments in relation to the 50% budget cut that Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) has faced in the new Budget and said she would urge the finance minister to restore it. She, however, qualified her statement that the cut was due to devolution of finances to the states and that the latter also must pitch in.

She was responding to a question from CPM MP from Kannur P K Shreemathi Teacher who asked why the budget had been cut down from Rs 18,108 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 8,245 crore now. Asking whether the minister would push for more funds, Teacher said that the Planning Commission had recommended a budget of Rs 2 lakh crore.

Maneka said: "There has been a curtailment in the budget allocation for 2015-16 by about 50% for the ICDS ... we are a bit worried as to where we can find the funds. We give to 24 lakh women Rs 3,000 a month, to the helpers we give Rs.1500 a month, and this money (Rs 8000 odd crore) will barely cover salaries leaving us very little space if any for training, monitoring and for building the Anganwadi Centres. Unless there is a centre in a village it is very difficult for the Anganwadi woman to work because she has nowhere to be."

She further said, "Now that the finance minister is here, there is no doubt that I and the health minister will be meeting him after Parliament to ask if he could restore the money if it is available."

Qualifying her statement, however, she said, "The budgetary allocation for all plan schemes including ICDS was made against the backdrop of substantial higher devolution of 42% to the states and the decision to give more flexibility to the states in the implementation of schemes. ...I would like to request the states for whom we have given 10% now to tie in their funds into the children's scheme."

At this the opposition benches almost erupted and asked for a response from the finance minister. The Speaker, however, did not allow the same.


The Times of India, 21 March, 2015, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Maneka-joins-opposition-in-asking-finance-minister-to-reverse-budget-cut-for-child-scheme/articleshow/46640998.cms


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