WCD Min needs to pursue Fin Min for fund allocation: Par panel

There has always been a gap between the projected budgetary demand of the Women and Child Development Ministry and the actual allocation, a parliamentary committee has pointed out, urging it to pursue the Finance Ministry for fund allocation.

Terming this gap a cause of "serious concern", the committee said either the WCD Ministry's projected demands are "not realistic" or it is not able to convince the Finance Ministry to meet them.

"In both cases, it is the implementation of the schemes and programmes that gets affected, resulting in depriving the targeted beneficiaries the benefits of various schemes," the committee pointed out.

It said this gap "ultimately affects the implementation of some of the most important programmes of the Ministry catering to the needs of most vulnerable sections of the society i.e. women and children".

The WCD Ministry needs to pursue the Finance Ministry accordingly for fund allocation as per requirement, it added.

In the year 2015-16, funds worth only 58 per cent of the Ministry's overall projected demand of Rs 30,807 crore were allocated, the committee noted.

In the year 2016-17, around 69 per cent of the Ministry's projected demand was met. For 2017-18, the allocation was around 87 per cent and in 2018-19, it was about 80 per cent of the projected demand.

The committee said that barring five schemes -- Support to Training and Employment Programme For Women, Ujjawala, Information and Mass Education, Women Helpline and One Stop Centre Scheme -- the allocation of funds for all other schemes of the Ministry has been less than the projected demand.