-Down to Earth While total allocations to Union budget 2021-22 saw an increase of 14.5%, the share for children declined by 10.8% compared to 2020 The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has dealt a serious blow to the Indian economy. The economic slowdown has aggravated poverty, disrupted public provisioning for children’s welfare, exacerbated existing gaps in availability, access and utilisation of services. It has multiplied challenges for children from marginalised communities. Healthcare, nutrition,...

-The Indian Express The Indian Express travels across Jamui, Sheikhpura and Patna districts and tracks down nearly 600 entries shown as tested to find glaring gaps between what’s on paper — and what’s on the ground. Jamui, Patna and Sheikhpura: Over three days last month, three Primary Health Centres (PHC) in Bihar’s Jamui district tested 588 residents for Covid — all were negative. The name, age and cell number of each person...

-Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) ‘Analysis of Union Budget’ is a publication which Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) brings out every year following the presentation of the Union Budget in Parliament. This document presents our analysis of the priorities and trends in the Union Budget with regard to the sectors and issues that are directly relevant for the poorer sections of the population. Accordingly, this publication focuses...

-The Indian Express Many patients also reported their inability to access public insurance schemes like MPJAY due to lack of co-operation from hospitals, and incurring heavy debt to pay their hospital bills for Covid and other emergency health conditions. Pune: Manisha Palekar from Kolhapur narrated the story of her husband, a public school teacher, who tested positive for Covid-19 and had to be admitted to a private hospital, which charged them Rs...

-The Hindu In a year of economic slowdown and growing inequality, we have been presented with a stingy Budget that fails to ensure the bare necessities for all While the country continues to grapple with the health and economic crisis as a result of COVID-19, widespread hunger and food insecurity is a silent emergency that has not been getting sufficient attention. Unfortunately, the Union Budget also does not include any significant measures...