India's child deprivation problem requires urgent, systemic reform

The report “State of the World’s Children (SWOC) 2025” — by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) — states that while global extreme child poverty is declining, India still carries one of the largest burdens of multidimensionally deprived children. About 206 million Indian children experience at least one deprivation, and one third of them (62 million) face two or more, reflecting gaps in education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, and water. Climate change now exposes four of five of the world’s children to at least one extreme climate hazard annually. Conflict, too, affects childhood more than ever: About 19 per cent of the world’s children lived in conflict-affected areas in 2024, double the share in the mid-1990s. Further, development-aid cuts could lead to 4.5 million additional under-five deaths by 2030 and push six million children out of school by next year.

 

Given this context, it is important to embed child rights in policies. In India, although the 2025-26 Union Budget allocates ₹26,890 crore for the Ministry of Women & Child Development, including ₹21,960 crore for Saksham Anganwadi & POSHAN 2.0, and ₹1,500 crore for Mission Vatsalya — the ministry’s share in central expenditure has fallen from 0.96 per cent in 2015-16 to just 0.5 per cent in 2025-26, indicating that children’s welfare has not gained greater priority in the overall framework. The level of programme implementation also affects outcomes such as delays in upgrading anganwadi infrastructure and shortages of trained staff. These systemic shortfalls dilute the impact of even higher budgetary allocations. Structural inequities further complicate the picture. Digital exclusion continues to leave millions of children without access to online learning, information, or skill-building opportunities.

 

Urban slums face the toughest combination of malnutrition, unsafe housing, pollution, and interrupted schooling. Climate vulnerability disproportionately disrupts services and displaces the poorest families. In this regard, states can play a crucial role in translating central policies into tangible outcomes. For example, Kerala, leveraging its panchayati raj institutions and strong decentralisation efforts, has been a frontrunner in establishing community-based organisation (CBO) at the level of anganwadis. Over time, these committees actively engaged ward members and local communities. Kerala’s model demonstrates how community-owned and -led committees can foster a supportive social environment, strengthen child rights, and enhance child welfare outcomes across the state.

 

To align with Unicef’s five-point framework, India must treat child poverty as a national mission. This requires universal digital access, stronger social protection, and public services that can cover the last mile. It also calls for closer coordination across ministries and states. Strengthening frontline workers, ensuring timely fund disbursement, maintaining fully functional anganwadis, and conducting regular on-the-spot inspections are essential. Technology-driven intervention and real-time monitoring systems can improve accountability and service delivery. India’s demographic dividend can materialise only if today’s children are healthy, educated, and safe. Without deeper reforms, millions of children will remain outside the arc of opportunity in the country’s progress — unseen, unheard, and unserved.