Rs 1.3 Lakh Crore â a.k.a. What s Expected of the Health Budget This Year
The pandemic should be used as an opportunity to correct the structural deficiencies in the healthcare sector.
A man walks past a graffiti of people wearing protective masks amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on a street in Navi Mumbai, India January 21, 2021. Photo: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas
Health25/Jan/2021
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman in a statement last month said that the 2021 budget would be historic and like “never before” â one that would pitch India into becoming the engine of global growth.
Economic Times has also reported that she also said investment in health is going to be absolutely critical and would take top priority, with the government looking into not just increasing health infrastructure but also human resources for health towards making lives safer and achieving a reduction in out of pocket health-related expenses.
Budget 2021: Rejigging Social Sector Spending Priorities in the Wake of COVID-19
Besides the health sector, which obviously needs to be strengthened, both NREGA and NRLM deserve an allocation boost.
A woman worker in the construction sector. Photo: Reuters/Adnan Abidi
Preparation for the presentation of Union Budget 2021-22 is underway.
Unlike in the past, it is expected that the priorities of this yearâs budget will be different. The pandemic-battered Indian economy is struggling to bring itself back on track due to its falling GDP growth rate, the rise in unemployment and the impact that COVID-19 has left on peopleâs health. While COVID-19, followed by the lockdown, has contracted Indiaâs GDP and revenue, demand for jobs, especially in the rural sector, and a shortage of health infrastructure need greater attention of the government.