Every second child in the country is malnourished, according to the
National Family Health Survey -III. Yet, the issue, described by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh once as a “national shame”, hardly finds any
mention in the manifestos of the country’s major political parties. In
fact, children’s issues only get a meagre 11 per cent weightage in the
manifestos of the top 10 parties.
These are the findings of a study conducted by Child Rights and You
(CRY), an NGO dealing with child rights. “Children constitute one third
of the country’s population, yet they remain one of the most neglected
segments by our political parties because they do not form a vote bank.
It is disappointing to see grave issues like malnutrition do not even
gain an adequate mention in their manifestos,” Puja Marwaha, CRY CEO,
said.
According to the study, while only four parties — Congress, CPI,
CPI(M) and NCP — have spoken about measures to reduce malnutrition, the
BJP is the only party to show commitment to eradicate malnutrition on a
mission mode.
Manifestos of the Aam Aadmi Party, AIADMK, DMK, SP and AITMC do not touch upon the issue at all.
Only four parties — BJP, CPI, DMK and CPI(M) — have incorporated a
separate section for children in their manifestos. However, there is
barely any consistency in the issues covered in these sections, with
some focusing on early childhood, others on protection issues, and still
others only on education and skill development, according to the study.
“While it is good to see that some parties have included separate
sections for children, it is disappointing that there is no clear
understanding of child rights on the whole… it is shameful that Indian
laws and lawmakers have not accorded them the status as citizens with
their own rights and continue to talk about children as dependants and
in terms of their entitlements with respect to aspects such as
education, health and skill development,” Marwah said.
Interestingly, education and effective implementation of the Right to Education Act find mention in all manifestos.
“What is noticeably different from the 2009 manifestos is the aspect
of quality education in the sense that there is greater focus on issues
related to quality education,” the study says.