Keep up-to-date with all that is happening in welfare policy with this curated selection of news – Policy Buzz – published every fortnight.
Policy News
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM), aimed at augmenting the country’s solar capacity, was extended for three years to address delays in implementation due to COVID-19 pandemic.
To reduce the price of wheat and atta, the Department of Food and Public Distribution has lowered the wheat reserve price.
To enable Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) to provide services offered by Common Service Centers (CACs), the Ministry of Cooperation signed an MoU with MeitY, NABARD and CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd.
Governors in 13 states and Union Territories were appointed by the President of India.
Health and Nutrition
Sarva Dawa Sevan or Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) by 2027.
To develop Waste to Energy and bio-methanation projects in cities with a population of million plus the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs signed an MoU with Engineers India Limited as part of furthering the ‘Green Growth’ agenda.
The blog was initially published on 23 December 2021 and has been updated with Budget 2023 data.
In 2005, India started releasing a gender budget along with its Union budget. The gender budget is an exercise that applies a gendered-lens to the allocation and tracking of public funds. The focus is on improving women’s welfare through government policies [1]. But a look at data reveals that, even now, the gender budgeting exercise faces issues, and that gender budgets are still away from realising this objective.
Before considering the gender budgeting exercise, it is first important to look at budget allocations. For FY 2023-24, the total allocation for Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) increased by a mere 2 per cent from the Revised Estimates (RE) of FY 2022-23.
The allocation to gender budgets in India as a proportion of the total Union budget has remained constant since its inception, ranging from around 3 to 6 per cent of the Union budget [2]. For FY 2023-24, the total allocation for Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) increased by a mere 2 per cent from the Revised Estimates (RE) [a] of FY 2022-23. In recent years, the actual allocation to gender budget as a proportion of the union budget peaked in the pandemic in FY 2021-22. However, it has been falling since then. In FY 2022-23, the RE of gender budget accounted for 5.2 per cent of the Union Budget. For FY 2023-24, the Budget Estimate (BE) [b] of the Gender Budget accounts for just 5 per cent of the total Union Budget.
Figure 1: Allocation to Gender Budget as a Proportion of the Union Budget Fell From 5.2% (2022-23) to 5% (2023-24)
Source: Gender Budget, Union Budget 2005-06 to 2022-23. Available online at https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/ Note: All figures are Revised Estimates, except figures marked with * which are Actuals, and ^ which are Budget Estimates.
Skewed Composition
The gender budget in India comprises two parts: Part A encompasses schemes that allot 100 per cent of the funds for women (such as maternity benefits). Part B consists of schemes that allocate at least 30 per cent of funds for women (such as the Mid-Day Meal scheme). Since its initiation, the gender budget has increasingly beendominated by Part B [3].
As seen in Figure 2, in FY 2005-06, Part A and Part B accounted for over 34 per cent and 65 per cent of the GRB. Since its inception however, the Gender Budget is skewed by allocations in Part B, with Part B occupying 85 per cent of the gender budget in the pandemic in FY 2020-21.
In FY 2021-22, the share of Part A in the total Gender Budget peaked at 46 per cent, for the first time. However, since, it has been falling. In FY 2022-23, Part A accounted for 41 per cent of the gender budget while Part B accounted for 59 per cent. In FY 2023-24, however, Part A, went further down to 39 per cent, while Part B increased to about 61 per cent of India’s gender-responsive budget. This implies wholly-women-specific schemes do not form the majority of the gender budget as of now.
Figure 2: Allocations to Part A and Part B as a Proportion of Gender Budget
Source: Gender Budget, Union Budget 2005-06 to 2022-23. Available online at: https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/ Note: All figures are Revised Estimates, except figures marked with * which are Actuals, and ^ which are Budget Estimates.
Key Concerns
It is also important to note some systemic issues on gender budgeting in India. The first is the basis on which schemes are included or excluded.
Firstly, the gender budget does not take into account some of the major schemes that benefit women. For instance, the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) aims to provide household tap connections to all rural households by 2024. Tap water can particularly improve women’s [c] quality of life because it is mostly women and girls who gather water in households that do not have regular water access [4]. Yet, none of the allocations in the JJM have been reported in the gender budget [5].
The present segregation into parts A (100 per cent) and B (30 to 99 per cent) also means that schemes that earmark less than 30 per cent of their funds for women are excluded from the gender budget. The way schemes allocate at least 30 per cent of their funds for women also seems unclear.
For instance, the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) accounted for 24 per cent of the gender budget in 2023-24 and was placed in Part A of the GRB because the scheme encourages houses to be owned by women and thereby might benefit women. On the other hand, only 27 per cent of the funds allocated under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) accounted for Part B of the GRB, despite women being 55 per cent of MGNREGS workers [6].
In terms of methodology, lack of a transparent mechanism that details weights attributable to various schemes for furthering gender equality [7] could be one explanation for this paradoxical allocation, wherein a scheme that evidentially targets and benefits women (MGNREGS) is placed in Part B, while gender-neutral scheme, is placed in Part A.
The gender budgeting exercise thus does not seem to fully take into account prevailing gender dimensions as they play out in society, and leaves space for errors. Additionally, the lack of gender-segregated data leaves a gaping hole for an effective GRB. Reporting allocations in Part B, specifically, becomes difficult in the absence of such data [8]. This is why some scholars have pointed out that the entire process has become an aggregation exercise [9] more than a potent tool.
Ria Kasliwal is a Research Associate at the Accountability Initiative.
विभिन्न कल्याणकारी योजनाओं में क्या घटित हो रहा है, यह पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ आपको हर 15 दिन के अंदर ख़ास ख़बरों के साथ अपडेट करता है |
नीतियों से जुडी खबरें
भारतीय प्रतिभूति और विनिमय बोर्ड द्वारा नगरपालिका बांड पर सूचना डेटाबेस लॉन्च किया गया।
केंद्र ने सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी (मध्यवर्ती दिशानिर्देश और डिजिटल मीडिया आचार संहिता) नियम, 2021 में संशोधन का प्रस्ताव दिया है।
भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक द्वारा राज्य वित्त: 2022-23 बजट का एक अध्ययन रिपोर्ट प्रकाशित की गयी ।
वित्त मंत्रालय ने आर्थिक परिवर्तन, वित्तीय समावेशन और विकास के लिए डिजिटल सार्वजनिक अवसंरचना पर भारत की G20 टास्क फोर्स की स्थापना के लिए एक आदेश जारी किया है।
स्वास्थ्य और पोषण
iNCOVACC, दुनिया की पहली इंट्रानेजल कोविड-19 वैक्सीन, का अनावरण केंद्रीय स्वास्थ्य मंत्री द्वारा किया है।
सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने कहा कि ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों के लोगों को शहरी क्षेत्रों के लोगों जितना स्वास्थ्य देखभाल का अधिकार है, ऐसे क्षेत्रों में स्वास्थ्य देखभाल की उपलब्धता बढ़ाना सरकार का कर्तव्य है।
शिक्षा
उच्च शिक्षा पर अखिल भारतीय सर्वेक्षण 2020-2021 शिक्षा मंत्रालय द्वारा जारी किया गया।
परख, भारत का पहला राष्ट्रीय मूल्यांकन नियामक, राष्ट्रीय शिक्षा अनुसंधान और प्रशिक्षण परिषद (एन.सी.ई.आर.टी) द्वारा अधिसूचित किया गया।
स्वच्छता
राष्ट्रीय संचालन समिति द्वारा अटल भूजल योजना की समग्र प्रगति की समीक्षा की गई।
अन्य खबरें
राष्ट्रीय तकनीकी वस्त्र मिशन के तहत केंद्र ने पंद्रह अनुसंधान और विकास कपड़ा परियोजनाओं को मंजूरी दी।
संयुक्त राष्ट्र आर्थिक और सामाजिक मामलों के आर्थिक विश्लेषण के विभाग द्वारा विश्व आर्थिक स्थिति और संभावनाएं 2023 रिपोर्ट प्रकाशित की गयी।
सॉवरेन ग्रीन बॉन्ड की पहली नीलामी के माध्यम से केंद्र द्वारा ₹8,000 करोड़ जुटाए गए |
संयुक्त राष्ट्र विकास कार्यक्रम द्वारा एक समावेशी परिपत्र अर्थव्यवस्था को चलाने के लिए एक अभियान शुरू किया है |
इंटरनेशनल लेबर ऑर्गनाइजेशन द्वारा विश्व एम्प्लॉयमेंट एंड सोशल आउटलुक: ट्रेंड्स 2023 रिपोर्ट जारी की गई है।
ऑडिट फर्मों के प्रबंधन में पारदर्शिता बढ़ाने और वार्षिक पारदर्शिता रिपोर्ट तैयार करने करने के लिए राष्ट्रीय वित्तीय रिपोर्टिंग प्राधिकरण द्वारा एक मसौदा प्रकाशित किया गया।
यह लेख पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ के अंग्रेजी संस्करण पर आधारित है जो 30 जनवरी 2023 को प्रकाशित हुआ था।
हे पॉलिसी बझ तुम्हाला विविध कल्याणकारी योजनांमध्ये काय चालले आहे याविषयी दर 15 दिवसांनी विशेष बातम्या अपडेट करते.
धोरण बातम्या
सिक्युरिटीज अँड एक्स्चेंज बोर्ड ऑफ इंडिया (SEBI) ने लाँच केलेल्या म्युनिसिपल बॉण्ड्सवरील माहिती डेटाबेस. महानगरपालिकेच्या वित्तविषयक मूलभूत गोष्टी येथे आमच्या ब्लॉगसह समजून घ्या.
माहिती तंत्रज्ञान (मध्यस्थ मार्गदर्शक तत्त्वे आणि डिजिटल मीडिया आचारसंहिता) नियम 2021 मध्ये केंद्राने सुधारणा प्रस्तावित केल्या आहेत.
राज्य वित्त: भारतीय रिझर्व्ह बँक (RBI) द्वारे प्रकाशित बजेट 2022-23 अहवालाचा अभ्यास.
आर्थिक परिवर्तन, आर्थिक समावेशन आणि विकासासाठी डिजिटल सार्वजनिक पायाभूत सुविधांवर भारताच्या G20 टास्क फोर्सच्या स्थापनेचा आदेश वित्त मंत्रालयाने जारी केला आहे.
आरोग्य आणि पोषण
iNCOVACC ही जगातील पहिली इंट्रानासल कोविड 19 लस केंद्रीय आरोग्य मंत्र्यांच्या हस्ते अनावरण करण्यात आली.
शहरी भागातील लोकांप्रमाणेच ग्रामीण भागातील लोकांनाही आरोग्यसेवा मिळण्याचा अधिकार आहे, अशी टिप्पणी सर्वोच्च न्यायालयाने केली. त्यात पुढे असेही म्हटले आहे की अशा भागात आरोग्य सेवेची उपलब्धता वाढवणे हे सरकारचे कर्तव्य आहे.
नॅशनल फायनान्शिअल रिपोर्टिंग अथॉरिटी (NFRA) द्वारे ऑडिट फर्म्सच्या व्यवस्थापनात पारदर्शकता वाढवण्यासाठी आणि वार्षिक पारदर्शकता अहवाल तयार आणि प्रकाशित करण्यासाठी आवश्यक मसुदा प्रकाशित केला गेला.
हा लेख पॉलिसी बझच्या इंग्रजी आवृत्तीवर आधारित आहे जो 30 जानेवारी 2023 रोजी प्रकाशित झाला.
Keep up-to-date with all that is happening in welfare policy with this curated selection of news – Policy Buzz – published every fortnight.
Policy News
Information database on municipal bonds launched by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Understand the basics of municipal finances with our blog here.
Amendments to the Information Technology (intermediary guidelines and digital media ethics code) Rules 2021 proposed by the Centre.
Order for the constitution of India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion and Development was issued by the Ministry of Finance.
Health and Nutrition
iNNCOVACC, world’s first intranasal COVID19 vaccine, was unveiled by the Union Health Minister.
People in rural areas have the right to equal healthcare as people in urban areas, commented the Supreme Court. The court further added that the government is duty-bound to enhance access to healthcare in such areas. Read about the National Health Mission with our Budget Briefs 2023.
Draft requirements to prepare and publish Annual Transparency Reports to increase transparency in management and governance of audit firms was published by the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) for auditors.
Through this blog, we give you a basic overview of India’s major welfare programmes.
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Mission
AMRUT, implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, was launched in June 2015 in 500 select cities and towns across the country.
The Mission focuses on development of basic infrastructure for water supply, sewerage and septage management, storm water drainage, green spaces and parks, and non-motorized urban transport.
AMRUT Mission was subsumed under AMRUT 2.0, which was launched in October 2021. AMRUT 2.0 will be implemented for a period of 5 years, till Financial Year (FY) 2025-26.
AMRUT 2.0 is designed to provide universal coverage of water supply through functional taps to all households in all the statutory towns in the country, coverage of sewage and septage management in 500 cities covered in the first phase of the AMRUT scheme, and promotion of circular economy of water through development of City Water Balance Plan.
Ayushman Bharat
Launched in September 2018 under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
Consists of two initiatives:
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY); and
Establishment of 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs).
PMJAY is a health insurance scheme aimed at providing health cover of ₹5 lakhs per family per year for inpatient secondary and tertiary care to poor and vulnerable families that form the bottom 40 per cent of the Indian population and reducing out-of-pocket health expenditures.
The Health and Wellness Centre initiative aims to transform 1.5 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) – the first point of contact in primary healthcare – to Health and Wellness Centres by 2022.
The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (earlier referred to as National Digital Health Mission) is a Government of India’s (GoI) agency that aims to create an integrated healthcare system that will link practitioners and patients digitally by giving them access to real-time health records, thereby promoting prompt and structured healthcare across the country.
Food Subsidy and the National Food Security Act
Implemented by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (MoCAF&PD), it is GoI’s flagship programme to ensure food security through the supply and distribution of food grains and other essential commodities.
In 2013, the enactment of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) made the provision of adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices and ensured nutritional security a right.
The Act legally mandates the coverage of two-thirds of India’s population. The Act relies on the existing Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) mechanism to deliver these entitlements.
To help reduce hunger and nutrition challenges arising due to lack of access during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre announced the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) in March 2020, providing additional foodgrains to eligible citizens free of cost.
In December 2022, it was announced that PMGKAY will be subsumed under NFSA, and from 1 January 2023, GoI will distribute foodgrains free of cost to all eligible citizens under NFSA for a period of 12 months.
The ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ (ONORC) scheme was launched in August 2019 to allow for nationwide portability of NFSA benefits. The scheme provides flexibility to migrant eligible citizens to lift foodgrains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) of their choice.
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)
GoI’s flagship rural drinking water supply scheme.
It subsumes the previous National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP).
Aims to provide functional tap connections to every rural household for drinking, cooking, and other domestic needs on a sustainable basis by 2024.
Implemented by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), under the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MJS).
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)
GoI’s flagship scheme to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household that demands work.
Launched in 2006 following the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005.
Largest scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).
Mission Vatsalya
The erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme, implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) since 2009-10 for the welfare and rehabilitation of children, was subsumed under Mission Vatsalya in FY 2021-22.
Mission Vatsalya is a roadmap to achieve development and child protection priorities aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 form the basic framework for implementation of the Mission.
Mission Vatsalya promotes family based non-institutional care of children in difficult circumstances based on the principle that institutionalization of children should be a last resort measure.
Mission Shakti
GoI launched ‘Mission Shakti’ – an integrated women empowerment programme as an umbrella scheme for the safety, security, and empowerment of women – for implementation with effect from April 2022.
It is implemented by MWCD.
Mission Shakti has two sub-schemes:
‘Sambal’ for the safety and security of women. The sub-scheme consists of the following erstwhile schemes: One Stop Centre (OSC), Women Helpline (WHL), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP).
‘Samarthya’ sub-scheme for empowerment of women, which consists of the erstwhile schemes of Ujjwala, Swadhar Greh, and Working Women Hostel, and the existing schemes of National Creche Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY).
National Health Mission (NHM)
Launched in May 2013, the National Health Mission (NHM) consists of two sub-missions:
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), launched in 2005 to provide accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare in rural India; and
National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), a sub-mission launched in 2013 for urban health.
Aims at achieving universal access to health care by strengthening health systems, institutions, and capabilities.
Implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
On 5 April 2020, to strengthen health systems and provide an immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, GoI announced the ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’ (ERHSPP).
NHM is the nodal body for implementation of the scheme. The period of the package is from 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2024, with expenditure prior to 3 April 2020 claimed retroactively.
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY – G)
GovI’s flagship ‘Housing for All’ scheme.
Launched in November 2016 after restructuring the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), a rural housing scheme started in 1996.
Aims to provide monetary assistance for the construction of a pucca house with basic amenities for all rural homeless families and those living in dilapidated and kutcha houses by 2022. The scheme has ben extended till March 2024.
Implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)
Launched in 2014 with an objective of ensuring access to various financial services like availability of basic savings bank account, access to need based credit, remittances facility, insurance, and pension, to the excluded sections i.e. weaker sections and low income groups.
Under the scheme, a basic savings bank deposit account can be opened in any bank branch or Business Correspondent (Bank Mitra) outlet by persons not having any other account.
Other benefits include no minimum balance requirement in PMJDY account, RuPay Debit card, accident insurance cover of 1 lakh, and eligibility for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under other welfare schemes.
The scheme is implemented by the Department of Financial Service, Ministry of Finance.
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)
Income support scheme in which small and marginal farmers get up to ₹6,000 per year to supplement their financial needs.
Came into force with retrospective effect from 1 December 2018.
Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare (MoAFW) as a Central Sector Scheme (CSS).
Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN)
GoI’s flagship school-based feeding programme aimed at improving the nutritional status of students and promoting the universalisation of elementary education. The programme also focusses on enhancing enrolment, retention, and attendance of children.
Launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) in 1995 as Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDM).
Run by the Ministry of Education (MoE), erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). The name of the scheme was changed to PM-POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) Scheme, in September 2021.
The scheme has been extended to students studying in pre-primary or Balvatikas running in government and government aided primary schools since 2022.
Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0
In Financial Year 2021-22, GoI restructured Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and POSHAN Abhiyaan into Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0.
This consists of the following sub-schemes: The erstwhile ICDS, POSHAN Abhiyaan, and Scheme for Adolescent Girls.
The stated objective of this restructuring was to converge the nutrition related initiatives of MWCD and strengthen convergence with other concerned ministries like Health and Family Welfare, AYUSH, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, and Environment and Forests.
It is the largest scheme of MWCD.
Aims to reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition, and school dropout, as well as enhance the capability of mothers to look after the health and nutritional needs of their child. It also aims to lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical, and social development of the child.
The Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) was launched in 1975 in 33 districts and universalised in 2005.
POSHAN Abhiyaan, earlier known as the National Nutrition Mission, was launched in March 2018, with an aim to improve nutritional outcomes in a phased manner.
Samagra Shiksha- An Integrated Scheme for School Education
GoI’s flagship school education programme extending from pre-school to senior secondary classes in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goal for education.
Created by integrating the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), and Teacher Education (TE).
The integrated scheme was launched in April 2018.
Implemented by MoE.
To find detailed insights on the structure, fund flows and trends in implementation of these welfare programmes, download their respective budget briefs from here.
According to Census population projections (2020), India’s urban population is estimated to stand at approximately 59 crores in 2035, second only to China. According to Oxford Economics, the top 10 fastest-growing cities in the world over the next two decades will be in this country. With urban spaces rapidly growing and attracting more people and businesses, there is a need for effective governance mechanisms to accommodate and provide for citizens’ needs. Strengthening the financial capabilities of Urban Local Bodies can help achieve this goal.
To make governance more accessible, the 74th Amendment to the Constitution formalised the third-tier of government in urban areas. It also identified enormous responsibilities for these Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). According to the census definition, a habitation is declared urban (excluding a municipality, corporation, cantonment board and a notified town area committee) if it has a minimum population of 5,000 people; at least 75 per cent of the male working population is engaged in non-agricultural pursuits; and the population density is at least 400 people per sq km. However, a census town does not have a ULB, changes in governance occur only when a statute is released by the State government.
Substantial funding sources are crucial for the provision of quality service delivery and maintaining effective decentralised governance.
ULBs also have access to own source revenue and the funding received from external sources. Their own sources comprise tax and non-tax revenues of the government. Under the Municipal Act, local bodies are allowed to levy around 25 taxes; only a handful of these taxes are imposed and collected by different ULBs. Property tax among the taxable sources and user charges and parking fees among the non-tax sources make up a major chunk of the own source revenue of the ULBs.
ULBs though heavily depend on external sources of revenue for fulfilling their financing needs. External sources of revenue for the ULBs include:
• Mandatory shared resources which are based on the recommendations from the State Finance Commissions; • Discretionary Transfers/Grants-in-Aid are Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers from higher tiers based on needs/policies; • Borrowings include subsidised loans from higher tiers and these loans can be taken out against bonds as well.
In terms of fiscal autonomy, Indian ULBs are one of the weakest local governments internationally. The State exercises elaborate controls on the authority of ULBs to levy taxes, set of rates, grant exemptions, borrow design, and even on the quantum and timing of intergovernmental transfers. (RBI, 2022) The excessive reliance on grants from the Union and state governments coupled with the inability to autonomously access funds have adversely affected ULBs’ ability to function properly. Further, non-financial aspects such as fragmentation of responsibilities between ULBs and other parastatal bodies, inadequate staff strength and skills, low participation of voters in municipal elections, make the situation harder.
There is another phenomenon that indicates how weak ULBs actually are. When a rural area is declared as a ‘census town’, there is resistance from the rural local governments to “go urban” because local politicians fear they would not have access to large amounts of funds for rural development schemes (ICRIER, 2019).
Indian cities continue to face a huge mismatch between their growing responsibilities and deteriorating financial capacity. Our next blog looks at some unconventional sources of funding that ULBs can utilize to close the aforementioned deficit.
Madhur Sharma and Anwesha Mallick are Research Associates at Accountability Initiative.
विभिन्न कल्याणकारी योजनाओं में क्या घटित हो रहा है, यह पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ आपको हर 15 दिन के अंदर ख़ास ख़बरों के साथ अपडेट करता है |
नीतियों से जुडी खबरें
मनरेगा और केरल की राज्य शहरी रोजगार गारंटी योजना के पंजीकृत श्रमिकों को पेंशन प्रदान करने के लिए केरल सरकार द्वारा कल्याण निधि बोर्ड शुरू किया गया।
पूर्वोत्तर क्षेत्र विकास मंत्रालय (डी.ओ.एन.ई.आर) के तहत योजनाओं को 15वें वित्त आयोग (2022-23 से 2025-26) की शेष अवधि के लिए 12,882 करोड़ रुपये के परिव्यय के साथ केंद्र द्वारा जारी रखने की मंजूरी दी गई।
केंद्र ने विभिन्न विकास मापदंडों में पिछड़ रहे प्रखंडों के प्रदर्शन में सुधार करने के उद्देश्य से आकांक्षी ब्लॉक कार्यक्रम शुरू किया।
उत्तराखंड सरकार ने सरकारी नौकरियों मे महिलाओं के लिए 30 प्रतिशत आरक्षण अनुमोदित किया।
केंद्र द्वारा बहु-राज्य सहकारी समिति (एम.एस.सी.एस) अधिनियम, 2002 के तहत राष्ट्रीय स्तर की बहु-राज्य सहकारी निर्यात समिति की स्थापना को मंजूरी दी गई।
राष्ट्रीय बाल अधिकार संरक्षण आयोग (एन.सी.पी.सी.आर) ने प्रारंभिक मूल्यांकन पर एक मसौदा दिशानिर्देश जारी किया है कि क्या कुछ मामलों में, किशोर न्याय (बच्चों की देखभाल और संरक्षण) अधिनियम के तहत, कानून के अनुसार कुछ नाबालिगों पर वयस्कों की तरह मुकदमा चलाया जा सकता है।
देश की जनगणना, जो 2021 में होने वाली थी, को 2024-25 तक विलंबित कर दिया गया।
स्वास्थ्य और पोषण
नई एकीकृत खाद्य सुरक्षा योजना का नाम प्रधानमंत्री गरीब कल्याण अन्न योजना (पी.एम.जी.के.ए.वाई) रखा गया था।
राष्ट्रीय स्वास्थ्य प्राधिकरण द्वारा आयुष्मान भारत योजना के तहत सूचीबद्ध अस्पतालों के प्रदर्शन को मापने के लिए एक नई प्रणाली शुरू की गई थी।
शिक्षा
विश्वविद्यालय अनुदान आयोग (भारत में विदेशी उच्च शिक्षण संस्थानों के परिसरों की स्थापना और संचालन) विनियम, 2023 का मसौदा जारी किया गया।
पारदर्शिता की दिशा में कदम बढ़ाते हुए राष्ट्रीय मूल्यांकन और प्रत्यायन परिषद द्वारा विश्वविद्यालयों और स्वायत्त कॉलेजों के लिए निर्धारित बेंचमार्क जारी किए।
स्वच्छता
“जल दृष्टि @ 2047” पर पहला अखिल भारतीय वार्षिक राज्य मंत्री सम्मेलन भोपाल, मध्य प्रदेश में आयोजित किया गया।
अन्य खबरें
‘वैश्विक जोखिम रिपोर्ट 2023’ विश्व आर्थिक मंच द्वारा जारी की गई। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, भारत के लिए पहचाने गए शीर्ष पांच जोखिमों में डिजिटल असमानता, संसाधनों के लिए भू-राजनीतिक प्रतिस्पर्धा, जीवन यापन की लागत, ऋण संकट, और प्राकृतिक आपदाएं और चरम मौसम की घटनाएं शामिल हैं।
यह लेख पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ के अंग्रेजी संस्करण पर आधारित है जो 16 जनवरी 2023 को प्रकाशित हुआ था।
The Winter Session 2022 of Parliament commenced on 9 December 2022 and was scheduled to conclude on 29 December 2022. The session, however, adjourned sine die six days prior on 23 December 2022. Below are curated highlights from the Question Hour and Zero Hour during the second week of the session (between 19 December 2022 to 23 December 2022), and a brief summary of reports related to welfare schemes.
Highlights from Question Hour and Zero Hour
Health
According to a Lok Sabha answer, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated that thedoctor-population ratio in India stands at 1: 834. This was calculated based on the information provided by the National Medical Commission (NMC).
As of June 2022, there were 13,08,009 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the National Medical Commission (NMC) across the country. Additionally, there were 5.65 lakh AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) doctors in the country. The doctor-population ratio has been calculated by assuming 80% availability of registered allopathic doctors and AYUSH doctors.
Similarly, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated that the nurse-population ratio in India stands at 2.06 nurses per 1,000 population. This was calculated based on the information provided by Indian Nursing Council (INC). As on 31 December 2021, there were about 35.14 lakh nursing personnel registered across the country.
Under the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), as on 4 December 2022, a total of20.96 crore beneficiaries have been provided with Ayushman cards. Under the scheme, over 4.18 crore hospital admissions worth ₹48,954.33 crore have been authorised through a network of 26,267 empanelled healthcare providers, including 11,700 private hospitals across the country. State-wise data show that Uttar Pradesh and Bihar account for the highest number of eligible families under the AB-PMJAY at 1.17 crore and 1.08 crore families respectively.
On the 4th anniversary of Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), Block Health Melas were organised all across the country between 18-22 April 2022. A total of4,849 Block Level Health Melas were organised with cumulative footfall of over 47.3 lakh eligible citisens across the country. (Learn more about the Block Health Melashere.)
Women and Child Development
Under Poshan 2.0, along with local foods and fresh produce, fortified rice and the incorporation of millets at least once a week in meals, has been mandated to tackle anaemia and promote health. During FY 2021-22, a total of 7.34 lakh metric tons of fortified rice (fortified with Iron, Vitamin B-12 and Folic Acid) was allocated to states.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has launched a portal called ‘GHAR’ – Go Home and Re-Unite for digitally coordinating the repatriation of children under various child protection and welfare schemes.
Table 1. Unutilised Funds under BBBP scheme (in ₹ crore)
The high percentage of unutilised funds under the BBBP scheme has been attributed to a lack of qualitative initiatives at the level of state and district administration.
Panchayati Raj
Under the Digital India programme, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is implementing the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP). The objective of the mission is to transform the functioning of PRIs (Panchayati Raj Institutions) with ePanchayat initiatives like eGramSwaraj, AuditOnline, and others. Launched in 2020, the eGramSwaraj encompasses all aspects of Panchayat functioning such as budgeting, asset management, monitoring, accounting, etc., on a single digital platform including online payments. In 2022-23, about 2.53 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) have prepared and uploaded their Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) on eGramSwaraj.
Rural Development
Under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G), as on 15 December 2022, a total of 2.50 crore houses (84.75%) have been sanctioned andconstruction of 2.11 crore houses (71.5%) have been completed, against the target of 2.95 crore houses by 31st March 2024. (Download our 2022 brief onPMAY-G to know the status and progress of the scheme.)
On 26 August 2021, the eShram portal was launched by the Ministry of Labour & Employment with the objective of creating a national database of unorganised workers in the country. Initially, the eShram portal was designed with a daily registration capacity of 10-15 lakh per day. However, given the unprecedented response, the dailyregistration capacity of the portal was enhanced to support 80 lakh registrations per day. Additionally, the Ministry has also onboarded more than 4 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) to boost registration on the portal.
As on 1 December 2022, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a total road length of 7,98,739 km has been sanctioned and 7,21,362 km (i.e. 90.3%) has been completed.
While the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)was launched in 2000, new components like PMGSY-I, II, III and Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) were added subsequently.
The PMGSY-III was launched in 2019 with the aim of consolidating 1,25,000 kms through major rural links by connecting habitations, higher secondary schools, hospitals and Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs). As on 8 December 2022, against the total target, 91,371 km of road length has been sanctioned and 45,946 km has been completed. The implementation period of PMGSY-III is till March 2025.
The Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) aims to support rural entrepreneurs in the non-farm sector. It was launched in 2016 as a sub-scheme under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). As part ofthe SVEP, a total of 2,21,072 enterprises have been provided support for business development and seed capital through a dedicated Community Enterprise Fund (CEF).
Other
The One Nation, One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme enables nation-wide portability of benefits under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. Under the scheme, NFSA beneficiaries can lift foodgrains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) across the country by using their ration card along with biometric authentication. As on 30 November 2022, a total of93.31 crore portability transactions have been recorded under the scheme. Out of these, 92.7 crore (99.4%) transactions were intra-state and the remaining 59.64 lakh (0.64%) transactions were inter-state.
Under the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs provides affordable loans to street vendors in three phases: 1st loan of ₹10,000, 2nd loan of ₹20,000, and a 3rd loan of ₹30,000. The implementation of the PM SVANidhi scheme has been extended beyond March 2022 to December 2024.
The scheme aims to provide collateral-free special micro-credit to 42 lakh street vendors by December 2024. As on 30 November 2022, a total of 31.73 lakh street vendors availed the benefit of 1st loan under the scheme. Out of these, 5.81 lakh have availed the benefit of 2nd loan, and 6,926 street vendors have also availed the benefit of 3rd loan.
Highlights from Reports tabled in the Parliament
The Standing Committee on Labour, Textiles, and Skill Development presented its 36th report titled ‘Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY)’. Launched in 2015, the scheme promotes skill development by providing a variety of industry-relevant skill training courses at the PMKVY Training Centres (TCs) across the country. After successful completion of course mandated assessment and certification, candidates are also provided placement assistance by Training Partners (TPs).
The Committee highlighted the following major trends:
Under-utilisation of funds under the PMKVY 3.0. In 2021-22, only 72% funds have been utilised under the scheme.
Table 2. Financial Progress of PMKVY 2.0 & PMKVY 3.0 (in ₹ crore)
Out of total enrolment, placement figures for PMKVY 2.0 were low at 23% and PMKVY 3.0 at 8% (up till December 2022 ).
To read the curated highlights of the Budget session 2022 click here, and the Monsoon session 2022 here.
हे पॉलिसी बझ तुम्हाला विविध कल्याणकारी योजनांमध्ये काय चालले आहे याविषयी दर 15 दिवसांनी विशेष बातम्या अपडेट करते.
धोरण बातम्या
MGNREGS आणि राज्याच्या शहरी रोजगार हमी योजनेसाठी नोंदणीकृत कामगारांना पेन्शन देण्यासाठी कल्याण निधी मंडळ केरळ सरकारने सुरू केलेआहे.
12,882 कोटी रुपयांच्या खर्चासह 15 व्या वित्त आयोगाच्या (2022-23 ते 2025-26) उर्वरित कालावधीसाठी केंद्राने पूर्वोत्तर क्षेत्र विकास मंत्रालयाच्या (DoNER) अंतर्गत योजना सुरू ठेवण्यास मान्यता दिली आहे.
विविध विकास पॅरामीटर्समध्ये मागे असलेल्या ब्लॉक्सची कामगिरी सुधारण्याच्या उद्देशाने एस्पिरेशनल ब्लॉक प्रोग्राम (ABP) केंद्राने सुरू केला आहे.
राज्य सरकारच्या नोकऱ्यांमध्ये उत्तराखंडमधील महिलांसाठी 30 टक्के क्षैतिज आरक्षणाला राज्य सरकारने मान्यता दिली आहे.
राष्ट्रीय स्तरावरील बहु-राज्य सहकारी निर्यात सोसायटीच्या स्थापनेला केंद्राने मल्टी स्टेट कोऑपरेटिव्ह सोसायटीज (MSCS) कायदा, 2002 अंतर्गत मान्यता दिली आहे.
राष्ट्रीय बाल हक्क संरक्षण आयोग (NCPCR) द्वारे बाल न्याय (मुलांची काळजी आणि संरक्षण) कायद्यांतर्गत, विशिष्ट प्रकरणांमध्ये, विशिष्ट अल्पवयीन मुलांवर कायद्यानुसार प्रौढ म्हणून खटला चालवला जाऊ शकतो की नाही या प्राथमिक मूल्यांकनावरील मार्गदर्शक तत्त्वांचा मसुदा जारी केला आहे.
2021 मध्ये होणारी देशाची जनगणना 2024-25 पर्यंत ढकलण्यात आली आहे.
आरोग्य आणि पोषण
नवीन एकात्मिक अन्न सुरक्षा योजनेला प्रधानमंत्री गरीब कल्याण अन्न योजना (PMGKAY) असे नाव देण्यात आले आहे.
आयुष्मान भारत PM-JAY योजनेंतर्गत पॅनेलमध्ये समाविष्ट असलेल्या रुग्णालयांच्या कामगिरीचे मोजमाप आणि दर्जा देण्यासाठी एक नवीन प्रणाली राष्ट्रीय आरोग्य प्राधिकरणाने (NHA) सुरू केली आहे.
शिक्षण
विद्यापीठ अनुदान आयोग (भारतातील परदेशी उच्च शैक्षणिक संस्थांच्या कॅम्पसची स्थापना आणि संचालन) विनियम, 2023 मसुदा प्रसिद्ध करण्यात आला. मसुदा नियम येथे प्रवेश करा.
पारदर्शकतेच्या दिशेने एक पाऊल म्हणून नॅशनल असेसमेंट अँड अॅक्रेडिटेशन कौन्सिल (NAAC) द्वारे विद्यापीठे आणि स्वायत्त महाविद्यालयांसाठी सेट बेंचमार्क जारी केले गेले आहे
स्वच्छता
“जल दृष्टी @ 2047” वर पहिली अखिल भारतीय वार्षिक राज्य मंत्र्यांची परिषद भोपाळ, मध्य प्रदेश येथे आयोजित करण्यात आली होती.
इतर बातम्या
वर्ल्ड इकॉनॉमिक फोरम द्वारे ग्लोबल रिस्क रिपोर्ट 2023 प्रसिद्ध करण्यात आला. अहवालानुसार, भारतासाठी कार्यकारी मत सर्वेक्षणाद्वारे ओळखल्या गेलेल्या शीर्ष पाच जोखमींमध्ये डिजिटल असमानता, संसाधनांसाठी भू-राजकीय स्पर्धा, राहणीमानाचा खर्च, क्रेडिट क्रंच आणि नैसर्गिक आपत्ती आणि अत्यंत हवामानाच्या घटना होत्या.
हा लेख पॉलिसी बझच्या इंग्रजी आवृत्तीवर आधारित आहे जो 16 जानेवारी 2023 रोजी प्रकाशित झाला.
