They constitute 40 per cent of the total population,yet the concerns of children are hardly projected in the Union Budget. Underlining the need to mainstream child rights and child concerns,the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has now demanded a child budget from the Finance Ministry. NCPCR chairperson Shanta Sinha,in a letter to the ministry this month,has suggested to initiate child budgeting as in the case of gender budgeting in the country,covering the entire government machinery with programmes impacting children. Emphasising on bringing protection of child rights to the centrestage of Indias development,the chairperson has asked for creation of child budgeting cells and child audit of policies and programme implementation. The commission stresses on the requirement of a strategy of bringing every department and ministry to commit for children while making its financial allocations. According to the commission,investments must be made in proportion to GDP and commensurate with the overall increase in national productivity and income. It points out that even as there has been a growth in the per capita income,the ever-growing health-related problems among children like malnutrition,anaemic and micronutrient deficiency continue to be a cause for great concern. Our country suffers considerable economic losses on account of malnutrition,and reduced physical,cognitive growth translates into lower productivity work output leading to GDP loss, it said. The commission has,therefore,further stressed on the need to launch comprehensive national nutrition mission with an objective to eradicate malnutrition. For this,it has asked the Finance Ministry to set up an inter-sectoral steering group to finalise within three months the mission's content and budget.
