Karnataka spends little on children, says study

An analysis of public spending on children in Karnataka for the period 2001-02 to 2013-14 has revealed that the State has invested very little on children in the 0-5 year age group, the most critical period when early foundations are laid for a healthy and meaningful childhood.

This is true for all critical sectors, including education, nutrition and health care, says the study conducted by Centre for Budget and Policy Studies (CBPS), in association with Unicef’s field office in Hyderabad.

The details of the research will be released at a seminar organised by CBPS on the occasion of National Girl Child Day here on Friday.

Highlights

According to the highlights of the study which were made available to the media on Thursday, the investment is poor even for adolescent children in the age group of 15-19, a crucial period when transition from childhood to adulthood takes place and, emotional, educational, physical needs pertaining to preparedness for labour market participation, motherhood and citizenship responsibilities are to be responded to.
The report states that the poorest households seem to be having very limited access to health, nutrition and education services especially for the age groups of 0-6 years and 14-18 years.

Despite these observations, the study mentions that children are a priority for public policy planning in the State. Since 2004-05, the State has been spending nearly one-third of the total public spending on child-related programmes and schemes.
Public spending

However, higher public spending is needed to ensure that every child has access to education, health, protection and other development services/ facilities and to ensure that every child’s potential is fully realised, the report states.

While making certain suggestions, the Centre for Budget and Policy Studies states that is important that the State determines its priorities and sources of funds.