Health and education lack priority in India

The Union Budget 2010-11 once again exhibited political apathy of our rulers to prioritise the critical needs of the people in education and health. No doubt there are nominal increases in the allocations for the sectors. But the nature and intensity of the deficits in education and health outcomes in our country is such that realisation of the promises of the government to universalise these services cannot be deferred indefinitely.

The argument is more true in situations where the government is foregoing more than 5 lakh crores of resources in the central tax system itself but do not make necessary provisions for the basic health and education services leading towards universalisation of these services.

As highlighted by Honorable Finance Minister Shri Pranob Mukherjee, “The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 creates a framework for legal entitlements for all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years to education of good quality, based on principles of equity and non-discrimination. In recent years, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has made significant contribution in improving enrolment and infrastructure for elementary education. About 98% of habitations are now covered by primary schools. I propose to increase the plan allocation for school education from Rs. 26800 crore in 2009-10 to Rs.31036 crore in 2010-11. In addition, States will have access to Rs.3675 crore for elementary education under the Thirteenth Finance Commission grants for 2010-11."

It is unfortunate to note that the revised estimates for the department of School Education and Literacy for the year 2009-10 is significantly lower than the allocations made last year. Such under-utilisation was noticed through under-utilisation of resources available for strengthening of teacher's training institutions, implementation of Mid Day Meal Programme, SSA related expenditures, under spending in total secondary and adult education. It is worthwhile to mention here that the planned allocations in these heads failed to take place leading to under spending of around four thousand crore rupees between budgeted estimate and real estimate of 2009-10.

In case of higher education too, there has been an element of under spending around one thousand crore rupees indicated by a decline in the revised estimates vis-a-vis budget estimates of the year 2009-10.

The Finance Minister proposed an annual health survey across districts by saying that “an Annual Health Survey to prepare the District Health Profile of all Districts shall be conducted in 2010-11. The findings of the Survey should be of immense benefit to major public health initiatives particularly the National Rural Health Mission, which has successfully addressed the gaps in the delivery of critical health services in rural areas.” This is certainly something that is essential to monitor progress.

But the necessary condition to achieve progress in health outcomes is to invest on health provisionings and create an atmosphere at the state and district level so that necessary prioritisation over health services can be achieved.

During Budget 2010-11, the Finance Minister marginally increased the budget for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare from around Rs. 21113 crores to Rs. 23530 crores which is not at all substantial given the poor condition of public health service delivery systems in our country. In addition to that, the government in fact reduced its allocation even in absolute terms in case of medical education, training and research leaving the space to private interests to enter into the field of medical education that is probably the most profitable professional choice in recent times. In many private medical collages in India the cost of education is so exorbitant that it is prohibiting even for students coming from higher middle income groups. Similar decline in absolute terms is being noticed in budgetary allocations for National Disease Control Programmes as well as Contraception.

While such apathy towards education and health in the Union Budget 2010-11 is deplorable, the recent recommendations of the Thirteenth Finance Commission released a couple of days back vigorously promotes a paradigm of restrained government expenditure in the name of fiscal prudence. Once again it has set the targets to reduce fiscal deficit.

Economists from different streams of understanding have different take on the issue of reduction in fiscal deficit. Without getting into those debates, what we want to reiterate here is that the government have failed in prioritising the critical needs of the people in Budget 2010-11. For a government that may afford to lose more than 5 lakh crore rupees towards tax exemptions in the name of investor confidence, is unwilling to spend on sectors like education and health that are rightful entitlements of the masses as per the supreme law of the land. The government fails to understand the historic needs to achieve inclusive growth.

This poses a challenge before the civil society and the masses to work still harder to make our policy makers receptive to the aspirations of the masses and accountable to what they themselves have promised before the people. We promise to mobilise civil society opinion against such apathy and hold the government accountable to its promises to end poverty and social exclusion.