Budget 2022: Despite Covid pandemic, health no longer the highlight

Vaccination allocation for FY22-23 at only Rs 5,000 crore against Rs 39,000 crore for FY22

Despite the global Covid pandemic that is far from over, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget 2022-23 did not see any significant increase in the allocation towards the health sector, unlike last year when she had announced a 137 per cent increase in health and wellbeing expenditure.

While Rs 5,000 crore has been earmarked for Covid vaccination support to states for 2022-23, FY22’s Revised Estimate shows a spend of Rs 39,000 crore on the vaccination drive that has covered over 75 per cent of the adult population since its launch on January 16, 2021.  

Over the Revised Estimates, the total health