Analysis of Kerala budget 2010-2011
As we analyze the Government of Kerala budget of 2010-2011, we can conclude that the Budget on the whole is more or less silent regarding the rights of children who constitute a considerable portion of the population in the state.
It has been evident from Kerala state budgets of recent years that Children are not considered as a segment of population requiring their own place and rights. This Budget of 2010 - 2011 too has failed to acknowledge Children as a significant entity by themselves.
There is no doubt that in society, it is the social and economic concerns and priorities of the dominant mainstream society that becomes seen as the ‘public consciousness’ and ‘public opinion’ and assume political prominence. In that sense Children and their issues are never taken into account as a significant social entity that need to be addressed and this is evident in Kerala society.
Infact if we look at it, on the one hand, it is the long years of historic struggles, raised peoples’ opinions and voices and constant engagement with public consciousness in Kerala around the issue of Gender Justice and Environment Rights/Green Polity that has resulted in some mention and allocation towards the issues in this year’s Budget.
While on the other, Child Rights is not being seen as a core priority and there is a serious lack of consciousness which is reflected in the Budget.
In this context some of the highlights of the Budget in our critique is as follows:
1. The Economic Review Report released by the Planning Board just before the State Budget stated that there are 3661 Schools in Kerala which have been declared as UNECONOMIC for the year 2009 -2010. This means that 28.98% of the total number of government and aided schools in Kerala or in other words One Fourth of the total schools in the state are on the verge of closure!
2. Current data shows that 1, 20,142 children are in these schools and of them close to a staggering 40.45% belong to Dalit and Adivasi communities. This alarming situation which denies the basic right to education for children of marginalised communities has been completely ignored and the Budget does not even address this grave issue.
3. Only 1.67% of the total outlay of Rs. 10000 cr has been allocated for education! Education which needs to be a focal point for the Nation has been totally disregarded. Such disregard will lead to the creation of dangerous conditions where the real development of the country is concerned.
4. The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill of 2009 has also been sidelined and there is not even a reference to its implementation in the State Plan and Budget.
5. Children below the age of 14 constitute 29.1% of the population in Kerala and if we consider the age of 18, this will become an even greater significant portion of the population. But there is no effort in the Budget to address the rights of this vast majority of the population.
6. Children are considered only as ‘Students’ and School education has been allocated a tiny part of the budget. A child who is not a student does not have any reference in the budget.
7. While Education is one among the rights entitled to children, other rights have been completely ignored.
8. The rate of criminal offences/atrocities against children in Kerala is 29 while the national average is 14 with this disturbing trend growing year by year. The Budget does not allocate any priority to the prevention, rehabilitation or building awareness on such violent crimes against children.
9. As per unofficial estimates, there are 10 lakh migrant workers now in Kerala and most of them have migrated with families of which many are children. Most of these children are child laborers with no access to education, health and other rights. The Budget remains silent on the education and rehabilitation needs of these children
10. If we look at budgets of the previous years, there is a gradual decline of budget allocation for Public Health. The current Budget also follows the same trend.
11. Kerala has witnessed a series of epidemics which has claimed many lives in the recent years, and many experts in this field point out that Morbidity among people growing. If we link these two aspects it points to the utter failure of the health system in the state. There is no proposal in the Budget for long time solutions to address this issue.
12. There is only 6 specialty hospitals for women and children in Kerala with no allocation for more such hospitals.
13. The expense for accesses to the Public Health delivery system has now been linked with the concept of Insurance! The Budget gives complete support to such a concept and has allocated money for the same. We believe in the long run, it is a plan of the State to withdraw from the government responsibilities on public health.
