Budget 2023-24 has very little to offer for marginalised, say rights groups

New Delhi: Various rights groups Thursday alleged that the Union Budget for the financial year 2023-24 has very little to offer for the marginalized the vulnerable children, the disabled, and the elderly.
The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), in a statement, claimed that the disabled community continued to be neglected.
“This year’s budget has been no different as far as the disabled community is concerned. They continue to be condemned to the margins and neglected, high-sounding rhetoric like ‘inclusive India’ notwithstanding,” it said.
NPRD said that in comparison to the previous year, there is merely a one percent rise in allocation for the sector. It also highlighted that the amount allotted for FY 2022-2023 was underutilized by Rs 196 crore.
The allocations for the scheme for implementation of the (Rights of) Persons with Disabilities Act have been severely reduced by Rs 90 crores, from Rs 240.39 (BE) last year to Rs 150 crore this year.
“It is the woefully inadequate allocation that is mainly responsible for the failure in implementing the provisions of accessibility within five years as mandated by the RPD Act.