Budget 2026 -27 proposed an increase in allocations for children, but it is “incremental progress rather than a transformative shift in fiscal prioritisation”, experts stressed.
The total child-related allocations have gone up to Rs 1,32,296.85 crore in 2026–27 budget estimates (BE) from Rs 1,16,132.5 crore in 2025-26 (BE). This is an absolute increase of Rs 16,164.35 crore.
The share of the child budget in the overall budget has increased from 2.29 per cent in 2025 to 2.47 per cent in 2026, while the child budget as a percentage of GDP has increased nominally from 0.33 per cent to 0.34 per cent. Hailing the Budget, Union minister for women and child development, Annpurna Devi, said:: “ The Union Budget 2026–27 is a strong affirmation of the government’s commitment to women-led development and child well-being.”
Independent experts, while acknowledging the budgetary increase, pointed out how the child budget needs much more emphasis. An expert reminded that the allocations for children stand in sharp contrast to allocations for defence. In the latest budget, the defence allocations were 14.7 per cent of the overall budget, a whopping 209 per cent increase compared to the last budget. “We know how important it is to invest in defence, but it is also equally critical to invest in children as they are the future of our country,” says the expert.
“While the increase in child budget signals positive intent, the overall scale of investment remains limited when viewed against India’s demographic realities and the growing developmental needs of children,” said Puja Marwaha, CEO, CRY — Child Rights and You, an NGO. “Incremental increases in health, nutrition and education are welcome, but achieving inclusive and sustainable growth will require sharper prioritisation of children, with stronger and more equitable investments that go beyond marginal year-on-year gains,” she said.
Ravi Kant, national convener of Just Rights for Children, a network of 250 non-profits, admitted that the enhanced budget, for the first time in a decade, sends a strong signal with the government identifying child marriage as a major concern that persists. “Without empowering girls, the commitment to end child marriage by 2030 will remain difficult to achieve,” Kant said in a statement.
Data shows, based on analyses of the Union Budget 2025-26, that the total allocation for children in India as a percentage of the country’s GDP has remained low, hovering at approximately 0.33 per cent of the GDP. Though not exactly comparable, the public spending on children in developed countries is much higher, with average expenditure on children coupled with family benefits (cash, services, and tax breaks) equalling approximately 2.3 per cent of GDP.
Child budget, percentage-wise, declining
It is also important to look at the budget allocations against the population of children in India, pointed out a child rights expert.
The Economic Survey 2025-26 notes that children and adolescents remain a significant portion of India’s population, though their percentage may have declined since 2011, the year of the last Indian census. “In 2024, nearly 27 per cent of India’s population was in the school-going age group (3–18 years). Even by 2047, this age group will account for over 20 per cent,” the survey says.
“This demographic outlook positions children as central to India’s sustained development trajectory, rendering the scope and quality of public investments in them a priority of lasting significance,” the expert added.
Budget allocations that amount to 2 per cent of the total allocations for a population that is not only the country’s future but also constitutes more than one-fourth of the entire population is disproportionately small compared to actual needs.
A closer look is revealing.
Data shows that over the past decade, the share of the Union budget linked to child-related schemes has recorded a gradual decline. While allocations in absolute terms have increased, their proportion within the Union budget has fallen from over 3 per cent, from 2016-17 to 2018-19, to around 2.3 per cent during 2024-25 and 2025-26.
Selective fund rise
Among government schemes, the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 – related to Anganwadi and nutrition — has seen a significant 5.19 per cent rise, with allocations increasing by Rs 969 crore to Rs 19,635 crore. But most other schemes related to children have seen a nominal rise.
Poshan 2.0 is the government’s flagship initiative on nutrition that addresses malnutrition among children, adolescent girls and pregnant and lactating women. The significant increase could help to facilitate delivery of nutrition services at the Anganwadi level.
On the other hand, the other nutrition-related scheme PM Poshan Shakti Nirman scheme, which incorporates the mid-day meal scheme, has received a 2 per cent increase, amounting to Rs 12,749.99 crore in 2026.
Analysis flags concerns
Child protection as an area that required more funds, feel experts, given the sharp rise in crimes against children in recent years.
“Mission Vatsalya, the umbrella scheme for child protection, has received an allocation of Rs1,550 crore in 2026-27 ( in budget estimate, in short BE) compared to Rs 1,500 crore in 2025-26. This is a marginal increase of Rs. 50 crore, i.e., 3.3 per cent,” says the detailed budget analysis by CRY. “While there is an overall marginal increase in the allocation, it is important to note that the erstwhile Child Protection Services scheme had received Rs. 1,500 crore in 2020-21, which was six years ago. Despite the continuous rise in crime against children and its evolving nature, the allocation reflects under-prioritisation of child protection services,” reminds the analysis.
The analysis points out that the “child-linked components of Mission Shakti, which provide services for the safety and empowerment of adolescent girls facing gender-based vulnerabilities, have received unchanged allocation of Rs 347 crore in 2026-27 (BE)”. The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data indicates a disproportionate rise in crime against girl children, particularly in cases of kidnapping and online exploitation. They underscore a deeper fiscal investment instead of a stagnant one, the analysis says.
Nominal increase for education
The Eklavya Model Residential Schools, for free education to children belonging to scheduled tribes, have seen a 20.27 per cent increase over 2025 BE and a cumulative growth of 52.66% since 2024-25 actual spending, which points at a strong focus on expanding residential schooling infrastructure for tribal students.
But the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) shows a stagnation in allocations between 2025-26 BE and 2026-27 BE, says the CRY analysis. This, despite a sharp increase over revised estimates, which went far lower than budget estimates, and a more than doubling of allocations compared to 2024-25 actuals, the analysis adds.