Karnali Province sees low investment in children’s sector

SURKHET, DECEMBER 11: There has been low investment on the part of the Karnali province government in the children’s sector. On average, only one per cent of the total budget of the province presented for the last three fiscal years is allocated for the sector in Karnali. This was divulged by a study undertaken by the Collective Campaign for Child Rights (CCR)Karnali divulged.

. Out of a total annual budget of Rs 28 billion 474.2 million for the fiscal year 2021/22, over Rs 149 million (1.28 percent) was only allocated for the children’s sector. Likewise, only 0.86 percent of the budget was earmarked for it in the fiscal year 2022/23. Similarly, a 1.07 per cent budget has been allocated for the same in the fiscal year 2023/24.

CCR Karnali Chair Tekraj Acharya shared that the Karnali province government has allocated over Rs 355.8 million in the children’s sector this year. As shared, four areas of child rights were studied in the budget analysis. The school infrastructure development was also considered the budget in the sector. Earlier, in the budget review, stakeholders urged three tiers of the governments to increase investment in the sector. —