Union Budget 2026 shows modest increase in spending on children: CRY

The Union Budget 2026 has recorded a modest rise in allocations for children indicating incremental progress rather than a major shift in fiscal priorities according to an analysis by CRY ndash Child Rights and YouAn official statement issued by CRY on Sunday said that a review of the Expenditure Budget Statement No 12 shows that total childrelated allocations have increased to Rs 13229685 crore in 2026ndash27 Budget Estimates up from Rs 1161325 crore in 2025ndash26 This marks an absolute increase of Rs 1616435 croreCompared to the previous year the share of the Child Budget in the overall Union Budget has risen from 229 per cent to 247 per cent As a percentage of GDP allocations have increased marginally from 033 per cent to 034 per centPuja Marwaha CEO of CRY ndash Child Rights and You said that while the increase reflects positive intent the overall scale of investment remains limited given Indiarsquos population and the growing developmental needs of childrenldquoIncremental increases in health nutrition and education are welcome but inclusive and sustainable growth will require stronger prioritisation of children with more equitable investments that go beyond marginal yearonyear gainsrdquo she saidHigher spending on child health and nutritionAllocations for the Flexible Pool for Reproductive and Child Health RCH Health System Strengthening the National Health Programme and the National Urban Health Mission have increased by Rs 26115 crore taking the total to Rs 459158 crore the statement saidIt said that the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 20 scheme has seen a 519 per cent rise with allocations increasing by Rs 969 crore to Rs 19635 crore The Poshan 20 programme aims to address malnutrition among children adolescent girls and pregnant and lactating womenThe PM Poshan Shakti Nirman scheme has received a 2 per cent increase with funding rising to Rs 1274999 croreNotably the Jal Jeevan Mission has been reintroduced into the Child Budget after 2024ndash25 with an allocation of Rs 673636 crore highlighting the importance of safe drinking water for child healthEducation development and child protectionThe Mission Vatsalya scheme has seen a marginal increase of 333 per cent with allocations reaching Rs 1550 croreThe Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan has been allocated Rs 42100 crore marking a 206 per cent increase over the previous year Funding for Eklavya Model Residential Schools has risen sharply by over 20 per cent to Rs 7200 crore indicating a stronger focus on education for tribal childrenAllocations for Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas have also increasedThe budget has set aside Rs 3200 crore for Atal Tinkering Labs in 2026ndash27 signalling renewed emphasis on innovation and scientific learning in government schools The inclusion of the Skill India Programme in the Child Budget also aligns with the National Education Policyrsquos focus on early vocational educationConcerns over equityfocused schemesDespite these increases several scholarship schemes for marginalised children have remained largely unchanged Allocations for pre and postmatric scholarships for Scheduled Castes have seen no increase while scholarships for OBCs EBCs DNTs and children with disabilities have recorded only marginal risesWhile the Programme for Development of Scheduled Tribes PM Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana has seen a substantial increase CRY noted that overall attention to equityfocused interventions remains unevenCall for stronger focus on childrenCRY said that the budget 202627 reflects incremental gains rather than transformative investmentThe organisation stressed that future budgets must place children more firmly at the centre of fiscal planning backed by adequate scale equity and a longterm vision to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth