Editorial 1: Welfare spending has been getting a regular pruning
Context
- This year’s Union Budget was criticised by experts over a decline in allocations for welfare schemes in real terms, at a time of post-COVID-19 recovery when welfare spending should have been a priority.
India's Social Sector Spending:
- According to the International Labour Organization's World Social Security Report 2020-22, India spends 1.4 percent of GDP on social protection (excluding health), while the average for low-middle income nations is 2.5 percent.
- Budgets for health and education have likewise been poor, falling far short of the desired goals of 3% and 6% of GDP.
Budget Allocation for social sector:
The trend of declining central government spending on critical social schemes have begun since 2014.
- Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 aims to address child malnutrition and hunger. From 2021-22, the Anganwadi programme (ICDS) was merged with POSHAN Abhiyaan and a nutrition scheme for adolescent girls. Even with more components, its allocation went down from since 2014-15 to 2023-24.
- According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 data, the percentage of anaemic, underweight and stunted children in India is 67%, 32% and 36%, respectively, which is among the worst in the world. Yet, funds meant to address malnutrition are being slashed with abandon.
- Another important nutrition scheme is the mid-day meal (MDM) scheme, covering almost 12 crore children. But the Budget allocation for MDM decreased by 50% as a share of GDP, from 2014-15 to 2023-2024.
- The PM Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) provides maternity benefits as a conditional cash transfer of ₹5,000 to women in the unorganised sector. To cover all women and births as per the National Food Security Act (NFSA) mandate, the scheme needs around double allocation of what it has now.
- The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and NFSA (Food Subsidy) have also declined as a share of GDP since 2014.
- The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), a scheme that provides pensions to the elderly, widows, and disabled individuals below the poverty line and monetary assistance to families that have gone down in its allocation from 2014-15 till now.
- As a share of GDP, central expenditure on school education (primary and secondary) has steadily declined from 2014-15 to 2023-24. It is surprising to see no increase here even after the pandemic which had catastrophic effects including a surge in primary dropout rates.
- Health-care expenditure, unlike others, rose under the present government. While this is a welcome change, it is too little too late in a post-COVID world.
- On the other hand, the current government was relatively successful in delivering tangible goods like access to cooking fuel, electricity, and financial inclusion of women, with an accelerated pace of improvement since 2015.
A stagnant HDI rank
- The HDI is a composite statistical measure created by the United Nations Development Programme to evaluate and compare the level of human development in different regions around the world.
- The HDI assesses a country’s average accomplishment in three aspects: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living.
- According to the Human Development Report of 2021-22, India ranks 132 out of 191 countries, behind Bangladesh (129) and Sri Lanka (73).
- The subnational HDI in India shows that while some states have made considerable progress, others continue to struggle.
Way forward
- The expenditure in the social sector plays an important role in the growth and development of any country as it creates positive externalities. Just not the expenditure in the social sector is important but also its implementation. It is important to spend in the social sector to attain sustainable goals and bring prosperity to the nation.
Editorial 2: Welcome initiative
Context
- In a welcome move, the Ministry of AYUSH and ICMR have at last joined hands to undertake quality human clinical trials to generate evidence on the benefits of using ayurveda along with modern medicine in treating certain disease conditions of national importance.
The Significances
1. Promoting High-Impact Scientific Research:
- The primary focus of the agreement between ICMR and the AYUSH ministry is to promote high-impact scientific research in identified areas of national importance in healthcare.
- By combining the expertise of both organizations, this collaboration aims to generate valuable insights and evidence in the field of integrated medicine.
2. Joint Clinical Trials and Wider Acceptance:
- One significant potential outcome of the collaboration is the conduction of joint clinical trials.
- The agreement envisages conducting rigorous clinical trials to generate evidence for their wider acceptance that will contribute to the validation and credibility of traditional medicine practices, fostering greater acceptance among healthcare professionals and the general public.
3. Role of the Joint Working Group:
- To ensure effective collaboration and progress, a joint working group will be established between the AYUSH ministry and ICMR.
- This group will hold quarterly meetings to explore further areas of collaboration and work on deliverables and will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of research initiatives in the field of integrated medicine.
4. Formulating Joint Research Projects and Programs:
- Under the MoU, both ICMR and the AYUSH ministry will formulate and implement joint research projects and programs.
- This collaborative approach will enable the pooling of resources, expertise, and research capabilities to address key healthcare challenges.
5. Knowledge Sharing through Conferences and Workshops:
- In line with their collaborative efforts, ICMR and the AYUSH ministry will organize conferences, workshops, and seminars focused on integrated healthcare.
- These events will provide a platform for researchers, experts, and stakeholders to share knowledge, insights, and best practices.
Challenges to integration into the mainstream healthcare system
- Unorganized: Traditional Medicine System (TMS) suffers from standardization issues.
- Poor resources
- Poor acceptance
- Safety concerns: Dishonest/negligent practices, cosmeticisation of TMS products, adverse reactions to TMS drugs, lack of safety supervision systems, substandard courses, poorly regulated markets
- Lack of scientific basis and almost no R&D in TMS
- Intellectual property protection
Way forward
- The Government of India has been trying to push traditional medicines in the country. AYUSH is the key player in the field.
- Right now Indian medicines need to complement each other and not compete. Through the Integrative Medicine Centres, the GoI tries to reach the grass root levels and has been launching several schemes to provide inclusive health care.
Conclusion
- With advancements in technology, India is losing its knowledge of traditional medicines. The initiatives like Integrative Medicine Centre will help India protect its precious knowledge in the medicinal field.