Budget neglects street kids

Bengaluru is home to a huge number of street children. Subjects of exploitation and neglect, their numbers are alarming but help is still a far cry. Is enough being done to help them pick up the broken pieces of their life? NGOs say recent government decisions are affecting the interests of street children.

'Save the Children', which supports child rights, wants ''Children in street situations also to be included into the disadvantaged social groups with requisite support to them for education, nutrition and protection''.

"There is much more that could be done to improve conditions of underprivileged children “ especially those living on streets and in deprived urban conditions,'' informs a spokesperson for 'Save the Children'.

"While we are glad to see better budget allocations to issues related to children, it's a concern to note that for the next financial year, the allocation on child protection as percentage share in the total Union Budget has declined to 0.047 per cent from 0.048 per cent in FY 2017-18,'' he says.

While a safe environment is vital to a child's wellbeing and security, it is clearly absent in the case of these children. Less said the better about their education and nutrition.

"The main challenge is the protection of these kids. For instance, in slums, both parents go to work leaving a small child alone or with a six-year-old sibling. That's why we need to have crèches, care facilities. In fact there should be systems within communities to protect them,'' points out Komal Ganotra, director“ Policy, Research, Advocacy and Documentation, CRY.

"There is no actual amount increase in the Union Budget to meet the challenges of underprivileged and street children. What was there in the earlier Budget has been maintained and that is it. Nothing is going to change with this budget,'' she says.
So every day, you see children dodging vehicles, knocking on the car windows, some begging, others trying to sell goods.

These children have either run away from homes or accompany their parents who come here for work. So what needs to be done on an urgent basis for them?

"It is very important for the government to provide these children with requisite support in protection, nutrition and education in a planned manner, for an inclusive growth," says 'Save the Children' spokesperson.

''When it comes to education, learning outcome for old children is not enough," Komal says while adding, "Most of the money is going for digital learning. It's good but how does it help those families who have no homes or electricity? It doesn't reach the last child. The struggle of the underprivileged remains the same. There is no investment in parents and communities. The important thing is to invest in the basic fundamentals. It's about having a 360 degree approach. The state has to be accountable to the child on the street," she adds.