Want finance ministry approval for scheme? Child welfare component essential, says govt
The new measure is aimed at ensuring that concerns related to children, who account for 40% of India’s population, are not overlooked in policy planning and implementation.
Central ministries seeking funds for new projects and schemes from the Union finance ministry will now have to specify if their proposals have a child welfare aspect, government officials familiar with the development said.
This has been done to ensure that concerns related to children, who account for 40% of India’s population, are not overlooked in policy planning and implementation, one of the officials cited above said on condition of anonymity.
The Union finance ministry’s department of expenditure (DoE) has made the specification mandatory through a recent circular. The circular states that though children are integral to securing India’s present yet development indicators continue to show slow progress towards securing their welfare and ensuring their basic rights.
“From now on, while sending proposal for any public funded project/scheme for appraisal by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC)/Public Investment Board (PIB), it will be mandatory for central ministries to specify if there is a child welfare component and if the scheme design is sensitive to the needs of children,” a second official, who did not want to be named, said.
Currently, ministries have to only specify if a particular scheme has a gender balance aspect and component specifically for the welfare of persons with disabilities.
It is only after the EFC/PIB appraises a proposal that a concerned ministry can move the cabinet to get a project approved.
“The change has been made to ensure that dimensions of child welfare and impact on children are evaluated while formulating schemes and projects,’’ the second official added.
“If the project has any gender balance and/or child welfare aspect or component specifically directed at the welfare of women and/or children, please bring them out clearly. It may also be clearly stated as to how the project design is sensitive to the needs of women and children if it serves the general population,” the DoE circular states.
The Union women and child development (WCD) ministry was pushing for the modification for some time. “Some ministries do incorporate child welfare initiatives in their schemes. But it is not enough. It is only when you make it mandatory to specify child welfare components in every scheme that it will become part of the policy planning mindset,” a WCD ministry official said.
NGO Save the Children campaign head Pragya Vats called the specification a good move. “It is important to prioritize areas, which often get left behind. The focus on children from most marginalized sections of the population and their needs must be reflected in plans and policies,’’ Vats said.
“With India urbanizing at a very fast pace, we want the urban deprived and, in particular, children in street situations also be included into the disadvantaged social groups with requisite support to them for education, nutrition and protection.”
