Budget allocation for social sectors stagnant: Study

AHMEDABAD: Every year during the budget the Gujarat government announces huge bonanzas, a majority of which are directed towards populist schemes that appear to strengthen the state’s social sectors significantly. But a detailed analysis shows the average allocation of budget towards these sectors has hardly seen an escalation. This has emerged in an eight-year study of budgets conducted by PRS Legislative Research between 2011 and 2019 – between two financial commission (FC) years.
Between these two finance commission terms Gujarat’s budget spending in education sector dropped from an average 16.2% between 2011-15 to 15.3% of the total state budget in the 2015-19 FC. In health, the spending marginally increased in 8 years from 4.6% to 5%. In case of SC/ST/OBC welfare and housing the spending increased by a paltry 0.3 %. In agriculture the spending increased by 0.2%, in rural development it increased by 0.5%, in irrigation the spending decreased by 1.1% and in urban development the spending decreased by 0.8%.
The PRS study has also compared the average per capita spending on citizens in each of the sectors according to the 14th finance commission report. In case of education the average per capita expenditure in the country has been Rs 6,471 per person per year for age group of 6-23 years. Sikkim spent the highest per-capita on education at Rs 28,312. This is almost four times the average for all states. Goa has the second highest , Rs 25,215, per-capita. Gujarat spends an average of Rs 6,715 per capita.
In case of health sector, all states have spent an average of Rs 785 per person per year on health. Gujarat spends an average of Rs 935 per person. Sikkim has the highest per capita expenditure on health, which is almost six times the average for all states. Delhi has the second highest per capita expenditure on health.
In case of urban development, states on an average spend Rs 3,983 per person per year on the population in urban areas. Sikkim spends the highest per-capita on urban development, followed by Himachal Pradesh. Kerala spends the least per-capita on urban development, although approximately half the population of the state is urban.