Healthcare and education are some of the important sectors that are usually not given the attention they deserve in India’s Union Budgets. It has been so for many years. But the situation this time is different. At a time when the country – indeed, the entire world – is working to tide over a health crisis presented by the coronavirus pandemic, will Budget 2021 make a departure from the trend and place its expenditure focus on these sectors?
In the fifth episode of ‘Beyond Budget Headlines with AKB’, Business Standard’s special video series in the run-up to Budget 2021, we discuss about the expenditure side of the Budget and look at sectors that have traditionally not been India's top expense areas but are now in the spotlight because of recent developments. The government needs to loosen its purse string in this pandemic Budget and spend more on the health sector, says our in-house policy expert A K Bhattacharya.

Beyond Budget Headlines: Health & education deserve more outlay, attention

Health care

Govt officials say health outlay will have to rise significantly not just for vaccine expense but also for creation of supporting infra and distribution channels

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FY22 infrastructure allocation also likely to see significant increase

V K Paul

Says competing priorities have subdued it, Calls for raising spend to 8% of budget

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Even if one compares the expenditure month-on-month, the decline has been substantial at nearly 70 per cent

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About 68% of the Indian population has limited or no access to essential medicines

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Indians are the sixth biggest out-of-pocket (OOP) health spenders in the low-middle income group of 50 nations

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In terms of spending on public health, India ranked 147 among 184 countries, a notch below Pakistan

Page 2 - Health Expenditure

Beyond Budget Headlines: Health & education deserve more outlay, attention

Health sector wants higher outlay, universal insurance in upcoming Budget

Govt kickstarts Budget-making exercise; health outlay may get 50% boost

India's health spend low, needs to be made priority: Niti Aayog's V K Paul

Substantial decline in health expenditure in May surprises experts

Out-of-pocket health expenses plunge 55 mn Indians into poverty in 2017

Rs 3 per day: That's how much India spends for each Indian's health

Indians 6th biggest pvt spenders on health among low-middle income nations