Gujarat officials complain: We don't have powers to "use" health budget given in 2005, it was taken away recently

By A Representative
Gujarat government officials have complained that they do not have "enough freedom" to spend funds coming from the Government of India for upgrading the state's health services. Participating in an internal meeting with the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), they said, "We were given this freedom in 2005 (a year after UPA came to power). But it was taken away recently."
JSA is an all-India network of NGOs working for promoting the concept of health for all, considering health as one of the essential human rights. Officials bemoaned this amidst Government of India, especially Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya, repeatedly insisting that state budgets should be increasingly decentralized.
Briefing JSA activists on the way the funds, provided under the National Health Mission (NHM), were being used for health facilities in the state, the officials told the meeting, called in Ahmedabad to "understand" budget making, that things have particularly turned bad because "it is impossible to utilize funds meant for a particular head for needs requiring more attention."
Pointing to other difficulties, one official said, "Earlier, the Government of India would provide 90 per cent of the funds under the NHM. However, this has gone down to 60 per cent now. Earlier, the mission director had the powers to use 20 per cent of its budget. But those powers have been taken away."
"Thus, the freedom that the officials enjoyed previously in utilizing funds is not there anymore", the official said, adding, "As a result of the curtailment of powers, things, village health committees are provided just about Rs 10,000, Primary Health Centres (PHCs) just Rs 1.75 lakh, Community Health Centre (CHCs) and sub-district hospitals Rs 5 lakh and district hospitals Rs 10 lakh."
The official admission of lack of powers to utilize funds came following JSA activists complained of poor health services in Gujarat. They highlighted how, despite having 3,000 PHCs, people in a large number of rural areas have to go as far away as 45 kilometres for get basic treatment. They added, that there is a "dire shortage" of physicians and health experts in PHCs and CHCs, as a result of which patients perforce have to travel to big cities for treatment.
Pointing out that, often, in the process, the patient passes away, on activist reported that in Amreli district in Saurashtra region, even in the district hospital does not have any gynecologist, pediatrician or anesthesiologist, one reason why patients cannot be treated in there.
"There is no blood bank facility in a large number of areas", complained another activist, adding, "As a result, it is impossible to bring down maternal mortality rate, which remains on a higher site."
Well-known budget analyst Mahinder Jethmalani, who heads Pathey Budget Centre in Ahmedabad, said that just about 0.75 per cent of the budget is spent on health services in Gujarat, which is "negligible", adding, "What is worse, even the budget allocation is not fully utilized."
Analyzing the latest 2016-17 budget, Jethmalani pointed towards "gross discrepancy" that exists between the spending for health in villages and cities. "While it is Rs 1,144 per capita in urban areas, it is just about 377 in rural areas", he said, adding, "For medicines just about Rs 45 per capita is being spent, as against Tamil Nadu, which spends Rs 65 per capita."

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

CFA flags ‘welfare retreat’ in Union Budget 2026–27, alleges corporate bias

By Jag Jivan The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has sharply criticised the Union Budget 2026–27 , calling it a “budget sans kartavya” that weakens public welfare while favouring private corporations, even as inequality, climate risks and social distress deepen across the country.

From water scarcity to sustainable livelihoods: The turnaround of Salaiya Maaf

By Bharat Dogra We were sitting at a central place in Salaiya Maaf village, located in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, for a group discussion when an elderly woman said in an emotional voice, “It is so good that you people came. Land on which nothing grew can now produce good crops.”

'Big blow to crores of farmers’: Opposition mounts against US–India trade deal

By A Representative Farmers’ organisations and political groups have sharply criticised the emerging contours of the US–India trade agreement, warning that it could severely undermine Indian agriculture, depress farm incomes and open the doors to genetically modified (GM) food imports in violation of domestic regulatory safeguards.

When free trade meets unequal fields: The India–US agriculture question

By Vikas Meshram The proposed trade agreement between India and the United States has triggered intense debate across the country. This agreement is not merely an attempt to expand bilateral trade; it is directly linked to Indian agriculture, the rural economy, democratic processes, and global geopolitics. Free trade agreements (FTAs) may appear attractive on the surface, but the political economy and social consequences behind them are often unequal and controversial. Once again, a fundamental question has surfaced: who will benefit from this agreement, and who will pay its price?

Why Russian oil has emerged as the flashpoint in India–US trade talks

By N.S. Venkataraman* In recent years, India has entered into trade agreements with several countries, the latest being agreements with the European Union and the United States. While the India–EU trade agreement has been widely viewed in India as mutually beneficial and balanced, the trade agreement with the United States has generated comparatively greater debate and scrutiny.

Trade pacts with EU, US raise alarms over farmers, MSMEs and policy space

By A Representative A broad coalition of farmers’ organisations, trade unions, traders, public health advocates and environmental groups has raised serious concerns over India’s recently concluded trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, warning that the deals could have far-reaching implications for livelihoods, policy autonomy and the country’s long-term development trajectory. In a public statement issued, the Forum for Trade Justice described the two agreements as marking a “tectonic shift” in India’s trade policy and cautioned that the projected gains in exports may come at a significant social and economic cost.

From Puri to the State: How Odisha turned the dream of drinkable tap water into policy

By Hans Harelimana Hirwa, Mansee Bal Bhargava Drinking water directly from the tap is generally associated with developed countries where it is considered safe and potable. Only about 50 countries around the world offer drinkable tap water, with the majority located in Europe and North America, and a few in Asia and Oceania. Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, and Singapore have the highest-quality tap water, followed by Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the USA, Australia, the UK, Costa Rica, and Chile.

Four women lead the way among Tamil Nadu’s Muslim change-makers

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* A report published by Awaz–The Voice (ATV), a news platform, highlights 10 Muslim change-makers in Tamil Nadu, among whom four are women. These individuals are driving social change through education, the arts, conservation, and activism. Representing diverse fields ranging from environmental protection and literature to political engagement and education, they are working to improve society across the state.

Search This Blog