During the coronation period, the father of the rickshaw puller used his son in a car repair shop. After a gap of two years, the school no longer attracts teenagers. Dad said, ‘He doesn’t even work. He has become a genius, he hangs out all day, he gets drunk. '
The minimum social security of children from poor families who are in more crisis than before due to corona injury is now at risk. Children are not a priority in the ministries that take up children's projects. The children's budget, which started in 2015, has been closed for two years. In this situation, National Children's Day is being celebrated across the country today on the occasion of 17th March, the birthday of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This time the theme is 'Bangabandhu's birthday pledge, all children have equal rights'.
During the coronation period, the father of the rickshaw puller used his son in a car repair shop. After a gap of two years, the school no longer attracts teenagers. Dad said, ‘He doesn’t even work. He has become a genius, he hangs out all day, he gets drunk. '
Children are not in the 'focus' of ministries
In the 2015-16 financial year, for the first time, there was a children's budget. In the last fiscal year 2019-20, the allocation was Tk 80,196 crore, which is 15 percent of the total budget. The children's budget has been closed for two years.
According to the Children's Budget Report 2019-2020, the number of children in the country is about 68 million. The 15 ministries and departments that take up projects for children are covered under the children's budget.
The children were not budgeted separately as the focus shifted due to Kovid. Now the main focus is education, agriculture and health. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs is responsible for coordinating gender and child affairs. The ministry is expected to come up with a proposal on what kind of projects can be taken based on the needs of the children by reducing the cost at this time. That didn't come.
Sirajun Nur Chowdhury, Joint Secretary, Finance Department (Budget-1 Branch)
Of these, the ministry, looking at projects in six ministries and departments, found that in FY 2021–22, only 25 percent of social security projects are for children. There are only one or two projects of some ministries. Although there are many projects for children in the education and health sectors, most of the construction is infrastructural.
According to the 'Revised Annual Development Program 2021-22' report released by the Planning Commission this month, 17 out of 65 projects of four ministries in the social security sector (investment and technical) worth Tk 1,608 crore are for children. Of these, 11 out of 34 projects of the Ministry of Social Welfare are for children and 5 out of 25 projects of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs are for children. Of the 125 projects in the education sector, 12 are for all the children of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, 5 out of 6 for the Secondary and Higher Education Department and 1 out of 15 projects of the Technical and Madrasa Education Department for children. Out of 64 projects in the health sector, 18 projects are directly for children. However, officials from the two ministries say children are also benefiting from the rest of the projects.
Sirajun Noor Chowdhury, joint secretary of the finance department (Budget-1 branch), said the children's budget was not made separately as the focus shifted due to Kovid. Now the main focus is education, agriculture and health. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs is responsible for coordinating gender and child affairs. The ministry is expected to come up with a proposal on what kind of projects can be taken based on the needs of the children by reducing the cost at this time. That didn't come.
No further work
According to the Department of Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning, the ADP allocation for the projects of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs in FY 2021-22 was Tk 813.95 crore. About 34 percent has been spent till January this year.
According to the 'Revised Annual Development Program (RADP) 2021-22' report, out of five projects of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, 'Adolescent Club Establishment (1st Amendment)' project has spent 13 per cent till last June. The objective of the project is to make the adolescents aware by involving them in creative and cultural activities by setting up a total of 4,083 clubs in 4,553 unions and 330 municipalities of 64 districts.
Jayant Kumar Sikder was the project director of that project. The newly retired official said that although the financial progress was low, the actual progress of the project was 60-70 percent. The money was not spent as the activities in Corona were stopped. Now the activities are going on, money is also being spent.
Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children (Children and Coordination Branch) said that the Ministry is not negligent in the slowdown of the project. Muhibuzzaman. He said the project was delayed due to project planning, review, construction project tenders, procurement etc. And the ministry has to face criticism. He said the children's budget is not in focus now. Expenditure is being made for the children from what is allocated.
New activities are required
The Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) is researching the situation of children in Kovida with the help of UNICEF. Professor Mostafizur Rahman, a special fellow of CPD associated with the study, told Prothom Alo that the children have suffered a lot due to Kovid. Some new dimensions have been added, such as child marriage and school dropouts, and many children have lost their parents and become orphans due to covid. Keeping these issues in mind, attention should be paid to children's activities. New activities should be taken up and financing should be done by determining the demand.
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