Increase child nutrition allowance: Lawmakers

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, May 15: Members of the House of Representatives and National Assembly have stressed the need for increasing the amount of monthly child nutrition allowance in the upcoming budget. 

Currently, the government has been providing Rs. 532 per month to each child of the underprivileged groups of 25 districts. Speaking at a discussion programme on Child Grant and Child Nutrition Allowance organised by Social Protection Civil Society 

Network (SPCSN) on Sunday, the lawmakers said that the government should increase the monthly allowance to the children of the underprivileged groups currently implemented in only 25 districts, and the programme should be expanded across the country. 

Gauri Pradhan, a former member of the National Human Rights Commission and the then Chairman of the Child Welfare Committee said that child malnutrition had not decreased even when the government ran a programme to address the child malnutrition for about 40 years since 1975, but it has come down with the introduction of child nutrition allowance programme.

Member of the House of Representatives Dr. Chanda Karki suggested that the child nutrition allowance should be named Child Development Allowance. 

Member of Parliament Goma Timalsina said that instead of dividing the children on the basis of caste, child maintenance allowance should be provided to all the poor children across the country.

Presenting a paper, Thakur Dhakal, a child rights activist, said that 1.1 million children under the age of five have benefited from the 0.19 per cent of the national budget allocated for the child nutrition allowance.

According to the child nutrition booklet published by the SPCSN, in Madhes Province, 29 per cent of children are stunted, 10 per cent are skinny, 27 per cent are underweight and 51 per cent are anaemic. 

In Lumbini Province, 25 per cent are stunted, 16 per cent are skinny, 23 per cent are underweight and 49 per cent are anaemic.