Karnataka: Plan panel for rehaul of school education, nutrition schemes

Bengaluru: Despite spending crores of rupees on food and nutrition schemes, the nutritional status of women and children remains poor, with rising anaemia and lifestyle disorders, the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission has observed in a report submitted on Thursday for consideration in the budget.

The report, based on recommendations from 5 sub-committees covering education, agriculture, labour, women and child development, and environment, said schemes like midday meals, Matrupoorna, Annapurna, Ksheera Bhagya and Anna Bhagya had not adequately improved nutrition outcomes.

"Anganwadis are the mainstay of the supplementary food distribution system for children, pregnant and lactating women. But the prevalence of anaemia among children and women is high, especially in districts like Yadgir, Raichur and Kalaburagi," said commission vice-chairman B R Patil, adding that locally prepared fresh and nutritious meals using locally sourced rice and pulses should replace packaged food to address the issue.

In the education sector, the report said the Right to Education framework had been neglected and recommended expanding its coverage to include children aged 3 to 16 years.

It called for reviving the free bicycle scheme for girl students to improve mobility and strengthen secondary education in rural areas, along with adopting AI-based digital technology to improve quality in school education. 

Growing influence of social media on youth has led to rising sexual harassment cases and depression, making sex education, gender equality programmes, and mental health awareness in schools necessary.

In higher education, traditional graduation programmes may soon become redundant and futuristic courses aligned with emerging job markets are needed, the report said.

It called for a task force to review the credentials of teaching faculty and recruitments to be put on hold till the review is completed. The panel sought enhanced research funding, including a state research fund of Rs 100 crore to promote quality research, global competitiveness and evidence-based development.

Highlighting groundwater depletion, the report called for tapping surface water, rainwater harvesting and rejuvenation of water bodies.

Noting that the state suffered losses of Rs 1.22 lakh crore due to floods and droughts between 2015 and 2021, the commission recommended a climate action plan based on emerging vulnerabilities. It proposed developing a 350-km green wall from Belagavi to Bidar to address desertification in north Karnataka.

It proposed a blueprint for climate-smart agriculture and district crop plans to strengthen farm incomes.

'Diversion of SCP, TSP funds deepens inequality'

The commission has cautioned the government against weakening statutory safeguards and allowing flexibility in utilisation of Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) funds, saying it could dilute the purpose and deepen inequality.

Flagging concerns over diversion and under-utilisation of funds delaying key interventions in education, nutrition, livelihood and welfare sectors, the panel reminded that the objective was to bridge historical socio-economic gaps through targeted development and empowerment. It warned against use of funds for general schemes as it benefits the broader population rather than SC/ST communities.