In a recent letter addressed to Nepal’s Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, an alliance of rights groups called for enhanced commitment towards children’s welfare in Nepal’s budgetary plans. These 24 Nepali and international organizations, prominently including Human Rights Watch (HRW), underscored the urgency of expanding the country’s child grant program.
The existing “Child Nutrition Allowance” program, launched in 2009, aims to assist families with young children throughout Nepal. It currently caters to children under the age of five from selected districts and to all children of the Dalit caste, providing a monthly payment of 532 Nepali rupees (approximately US $3.85) per child up to a maximum of two children per family.
A UNICEF budget brief report from 2022 reveals a stark scenario where only 45% of children under five receive child grants, and overall, just 10% of all Nepali children benefit from this program. The advocacy groups emphasize Nepal’s leadership in social protection policy within South Asia and highlight the potential to further develop social protection strategies that honor human rights and provide universal coverage to all children in Nepal.
An earlier study by UNICEF projected that expanding the Child Grant program to include all children up to age 17 by 2035 is financially feasible for Nepal, with an estimated cost of under 0.7% of GDP annually. This expansion could lead to a substantial reduction in family poverty and had anticipated positive effects on education, healthcare, and local economic activity.
Dr. Rama Sharma from the Nepal Social Welfare Institute highlighted the critical role of child welfare programs in national development strategies, indicating that the outcomes of such investments are evident and actionable for Nepal’s future. Concurrently, HRW’s Lena Simet argued the expansion of child grants as both a right and a strategic opportunity for nation-building, advocating for a broader adoption in the forthcoming budget discussions.
As discussions continue, the emphasis is steadfast on using the budget to align with these recommendations, potentially revolutionizing social welfare reach in Nepal. Further coverage of this appeal and its implications is available at JURIST – News.