The allocation for school education has increased by a nominal ₹5,000 crore and that for higher education has seen a minor increase of ₹3,000 crore.
The allocation for the Department of Health and Family Welfare has barely increased by ₹1,500 crore compared to last year
The allocations for MGNREGA is the same as the revised estimates (RE) for last year
There is hardly an increase in food subsidy too, despite the need for expanding coverage and anticipated increase in the economic costs of foodgrains
Schemes that address vulnerable populations also have not got much attention.
There is a slight increase from BE 2023-24 of ₹11,600 crore to ₹12,467 crore for the POSHAN scheme (school mid-day meal).
This is, however, less than the actual expenditure on this scheme in 2022-23 (₹12,681 crore).
The Saksham Anganwadi scheme for children under six years, pregnant and lactating women, and adolescent girls has got a budgetary allocation of ₹21,200 crore (BE 2023-24 was ₹20,554 crore).
There is clearly no hope for higher salaries for Anganwadi workers (which have not been revised since 2018)
The allocation for Samarthya, which includes maternity entitlements (Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, PMMVY) and the creche schemes, has reduced to ₹2,517 crore compared to BE 2023-24 of ₹2,582 crore.
The PMMVY is known to exclude at least half the eligible women, and the amount of ₹5,000 per pregnant woman has remained unchanged since the inception of the scheme in 2017
The budget for the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), which gives social security pensions to the elderly, single women, and disabled, remains unchanged at ₹9,652 crore
Prime Minister’s Package for Employment and Skilling has an allocation with much of it linked to the response of the industry.
Further, the private sector is required to spend money towards this package from CSR funds.
By allowing this, the CSR funds through which companies contribute back to society in some minimal way, are now mandated to be used towards subsidising wages for themselves
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