With a population of 19.79 lakhs, Nagaland is one of the smallest states in India. Home to diverse indigenous tribes, the state has 16 major tribes along with some sub-tribes. There are 8.20 lakh persons below the age of 18 years which amounts to 41.46 per cent of state’s population. HAQ: Center for Child Rights B1/2, Ground Floor, Malviya Nagar New Delhi - 110017 Tel: +91-26677412,26673599 Fax: +91-26674688 Website: www.haqcrc.org FaceBook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HaqCentreForChildRights

1. PhPotoCreditit::wSwappanaMukherjee
2015-16
BUDGET FOR CHILDRENBUDGET FOR CHILDREN
IN NAGALANDIN NAGALAND
STATUS OF CHILDREN IN NAGALAND
• According to Census 2011, the total child population up to the age of 18 years is 8.20 lakhs.
• There are 2.91 lakh children in the age group of 0-6 years.1
• Child sex ratio (0-6 years) in Nagaland is 943 according to 2011 census which is considerably
higher than the national average of 919. 2
• The birth rate of the state is 16.6 which is much less than the national average of 21.6. 3
• The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of Nagaland is significantly low at 18 per thousand as compared
to national average of 40. 4
• Nearly 25.5 per cent children in the 0-5 years age group are underweight.5
• According to District level Household & Facility Survey, 2012-13, 51.2 adolescent girls between
the age of 10-19 years are suffering from anaemia.6
• The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in the age group of 6-13 years was 85.4 during 2010-11
which was far less than the national average of 103.9. 7
• The drop-out rate from Classes I to X was recorded at 53.6 in 2011-12. The national drop-out
rate is 50.3. 8
1 Census 2011
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 SRS bulle n,2013
5 h ps://nrhm-mis.nic.in/DLHS4/State%20and%20District%20Factsheets/Nagaland/Nagaland.pdf
6 h ps://nrhm-mis.nic.in/DLHS4/State%20and%20District%20Factsheets/Nagaland/Nagaland.pdf
7 h p://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/sta s cs/SES201011.pdf
8 h p://www.educa onforallinindia.com/Sta s cs_of_School_Educa on_2011-12,%20MHRD.pdf
With a population of
19.79 lakhs, Nagaland
is one of the smallest
states in India. Home
to diverse indigenous
tribes, the state has 16
major tribes along with
some sub-tribes. There
are 8.20 lakh persons
below the age of 18
years which amounts
to 41.46 per cent of
state’s population.

2. Source: India: Child Rights Index. 2011. HAQ: Centre for Child Rights
Table 1: Child Rights Index
STATE
OVERALL
NATIONAL
RANKING
OVER-
ALL
GDP
BIRTH
REGISTRATION
SEX
RATIO
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
CHILD
MARRIAGE
CHILD
LABOUR
5-14
EDUCATION HEALTH
CRIMES
AGAINST
CHILDREN -
INCIDENCES
CRIMES
AGAINST
CHILDREN-
VICTIMS
CRIME BY
CHILDREN
Kerala 1 9 1 3 21 29 1 2 1 14 15 7
Karnataka 2 7 6 8 12 26 21 7 10 1 6 4
Maharashtra 3 1 8 27 14 19 7 4 7 4 11 3
Tamil Nadu 4 4 2 6 18 25 8 6 3 17 9 13
Andhra
Pradesh
5 3 18 11 20 28 24 19 11 2 2 11
Gujarat 6 5 9 22 16 10 10 9 19 3 16 5
Rajasthan 7 8 10 26 24 24 26 18 22 5 5 2
Punjab 8 13 1 20 15 4 6 15 12 10 13 16
Himachal
Pradesh
9 20 1 16 13 15 23 3 5 9 24 18
Haryana 10 12 7 28 26 17 12 12 16 7 8 15
Madhya
Pradesh
11 11 17 21 8 23 20 17 23 6 3 8
Delhi 12 10 1 24 27 11 2 1 14 19 17 19
Uttaranchal 13 19 16 25 29 14 5 13 13 15 18 14
Orissa 14 15 4 17 7 21 13 20 18 21 20 10
West Bengal 15 6 3 9 23 27 14 26 15 12 7 17
Bihar 16 14 14 13 25 18 11 29 24 13 19 1
Jharkhand 17 17 21 15 9 16 16 28 27 11 1 6
Uttar Pradesh 18 2 19 23 10 13 9 24 28 16 10 9
Chhattisgarh 19 16 11 5 28 20 22 16 20 8 4 20
Goa 20 22 1 19 19 9 3 22 2 26 23 23
Tripura 21 23 1 10 5 22 4 11 17 24 27 21
Assam 22 18 12 7 11 12 15 25 29 20 22 12
Mizoram 23 28 1 1 4 2 29 5 6 22 28 28
Jammu &
Kashmir
24 21 15 29 22 7 19 21 8 18 12 24
Sikkim 25 29 5 12 17 8 28 10 4 25 25 26
Meghalaya 26 24 1 2 6 3 25 23 21 23 21 22
Manipur 27 25 13 18 3 6 17 14 9 28 14 29
Nagaland 28 26 1 14 1 1 27 8 26 29 29 25
Arunachal
Pradesh
29 27 20 4 2 5 18 27 25 27 26 27
UT
OVERALL
NATIONAL
RANKING
OVER-
ALL
GDP
BIRTH REGIS-
TRATION
SEX
RATIO
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
CHILD
MARRIAGE
CHILD
LABOUR
5-14
EDUCATION HEALTH
CRIMES
AGAINST
CHILDREN -
INCIDENCES
CRIMES
AGAINST
CHILDREN-
VICTIMS
CRIME BY
CHILDREN
A & N Islands
3
NO
DATA
5 1 5 4 5 4 NO DATA 4 4 2
Chandigarh 2 1 3 4 2 3 3 2 3 3
D & N Haveli 6 4 5 1 1 6 6 5 2 4
Daman & Diu 5 2 4 3 5 4 5 3 5 5
Lakshwadeep 4 3 6 2 3 1 2 6 5 6
Puducherry 1 1 2 6 6 2 1 1 1 1
Ranking  1-5  6-10  11-14  15-19  20-24  25-29
Ranking  1-2  3-4  5-6

3. Unfortunately, despite doing very well with respect to its ranking in indicators on sex ratio, birth registration and early childhood
care, as can been seen from its ranking in the Index below (Table 1), Nagaland is faring badly in some other areas with respect
to children. In fact, there is cause for alarm and attention:
• Children below the age of 14 years in different occupations have drastically risen in the last few years.9
As per child labour
survey conducted in 14 major areas of Dimapur by Community Educational Centre Society in 2016, for the National Child
labour Project, 5,354 children were found engaged in labour (this corroborates the ranking of Dimapur with the highest child
labour in Table 2). Out of the total children found working, 3,032 were males and 2,311 were females. Within this, the age
group between 6 to 9 years constituted 13 per cent and those between 10 to 14 years was 87 per cent.10
• The drop- out rate in the state at the primary level is 38.5 per cent for boys and 38.6 per cent for girls which is higher as
compared to the national average of 23.4 per cent boys and 21 per cent girls.11
• There are reports of increasing number of missing children in the state. As per the director of CHILDLINE, as many as 77
cases of missing children were registered during April 2015-March 2016.12
• There are disparities across the 11 districts of the state. While the western region of Nagaland is more developed in terms of
infrastructure, connectivity and accessibility as also indicators like education, eastern Nagaland still remains backward and
underdeveloped. Table 2 provides a ranking of the districts according to certain indicators.
Table 2: Nagaland – District Index at a Glance
Best Performing
Districts
(1-3)
Moderately
Performing
Districts
(4-6)
Districts
Need
Attention
(7-9)
Worst Performing
Districts (10-11) The numbers corresponding to each districts are RANKINGS and not their
absolute values of sex ratio
District At Birth 0-6 Years 7-14 Years
15 up to 18
Years
All Ages
Child
Labour
Child Marriage
Males (0 to 17
Years)
Child Marriage
(Females)
(0 to 17 Years)
Dimapur 8 (933) 2 (966) 4 (952) 2 (967) 8 (919) 11 3 1
Kiphire 2 (989) 5 (948) 9 (899) 3 (966) 3 (956) 9 4 3
Kohima 5 (982) 1 (985) 2 (962) 5 (961) 6 (928) 10 5 8
Longleng 11 (907) 11 (885) 8 (902) 4 (962) 10 (905) 2 1 4
Mokokchung 4 (986) 4 (949) 6 (909) 11 (888) 7 (925) 7 9 10
Mon 10 (915) 10 (912) 11 (882) 9 (914) 11 (899) 3 8 7
Peren 7 (949) 7 (935) 10 (894) 8 (936) 9 (915) 1 2 2
Phek 9 (933) 9 (913) 5 (921) 6 (956) 4 (951) 6 6 6
Tuensang 1 (1000) 8 (933) 7 (905) 10 (903) 5 (929) 5 7 5
Wokha 6 (979) 3 (956) 1 (969) 7 (936) 2 (938) 8 11 9
Zunheboto 3 (988) 6 (948) 3 (955) 1 (1002) 1 (976) 4 10 11
Source: HAQ: Centre for Child Rights
The status of children of a state is a reflection of the efforts made by the government to address the issues related to children as
also its prioritisation and distribution of resources to address these issues.
It is in this context that an analysis of budget for children of a government becomes important. That is because the budget is the
most solid expression of a government’s priorities, performance, decisions and intentions both at the national and state level.
Children are not a homogeneous group. Hence, their programme needs are determined by their age, gender, socio-economic
status, physical and mental well-being and where they live. For example, nutrition and health inputs in the early childhood years
are critical for the child’s growth and therefore, inputs and interventions on these aspects in the early years are critical. In the
later years, enrolment and retention in schools becomes crucial, as does the issue of prevention of entry into the labour mar-
ket. The programme interventions in the adolescent years need to target their educational, health and sexual needs as well as
9 h p://nagalandpost.com/Showstory.aspx?npoststoryiden=TkVXUzEwMDA5NzEyNg%3D%3D-0Vv1Kr36ZmU%3D
10 Source: h p://nagalandpost.com/Showstory.aspx?npoststoryiden=TkVXUzEwMDA5NzEyNg%3D%3D-0Vv1Kr36ZmU%3D
11 h p://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/sta s cs/SSE1112.pdf
12 h p://nagalandpost.com/Showstory.aspx?npoststoryiden=TkVXUzEwMDA5NzEyNg%3D%3D-0Vv1Kr36ZmU%3D

4. their transition into adulthood. Besides, children who are especially socio-
economically vulnerable and children with disability need special attention. All
these must be reflected in the budget.
The disparity in the status of children in the different districts of Nagaland,
as seen in Table 2, reveals that there is a need for realigning the financial re-
sources to address the existing gaps in the different areas, and the children
in them, as per the need.
In an effort to address the issues confronting children in the state, on May
14, 2016, a state level consultation on child protection was held by the State
Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) in collabora-
tion with CHILDLINE to constitute a Coordination Committee
constituting civil societies, churches, village bodies and govern-
ment departments. The committee appealed to the government to
frame its own child protection policy. The Kohima Deputy Com-
missioner, Rovilatuo Mor, urged various sections of the society
to spare no effort in sensitizing the children on their rights and
eliminate all abuses.
However, none of this will be possible without adequate and
appropriate budget allocations and efficient utilisation of the bud-
get. It is in this context that budget for children analysis becomes
important.
Following the government of India’s definition of child in its
National Policy for Children, 2013 and that of the United Nations
Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), ratified by India
in 1992 any person up to the age of 18 years is defined as a child.
The Budget for Children (BfC) analysis in Nagaland attempts to understand the allocation and spending on children related is-
sues in the state. This is the first time that an attempt like this is being made, although similar studies based on the allocation
and spending for children have been made both at national and as well in other states since 2000.
Budget for children (BfC) is not a
separate budget. It is merely an
attempt to disaggregate from the
overall allocations made, those
made specifically for children in
order to assess how far the policy
and programme meant for children
is translated into action.
A note on Methodology…
15 (3) of the Constitution of India mandates that in recognition of the
vulnerability of children and women, states must make special provi-
sions for them. Allocation of resources for children in the budget is
one such step. So while all budgetary provisions for the public at large
also has an impact on children, there are still special provisions made
for them in the budget. Article 4 of the UN Committee of the Rights
of the Child that India has ratified in 1992, also requires allocation of
adequate resources for children.
Child Budgeting or Budget for Children (BfC) monitoring can loosely be
described as research that examines how well governments are using
programme development, budget allocation and programme imple-
mentation to respond to obligations BFC is not a separate budget. It is
merely an attempt to disaggregate from the overall allocations made,
those made specifically for children. The analysis of BfC in India – both
at the level of the Union and a particular Indian state – entails a rather
complex exercise at disaggregating from various heads of account in
the overall union or state budget to arrive at a comprehensive under-
standing of how financial allocation is impacting the lives of children.
This enables us to assess how far the policy and programme commit-
ments are translated into financial commitments.
This methodology and analysis was developed by HAQ in 2000 and has
continued to be the same since then. This is the same method that has
been adapted by most others undertaking similar analysis, in India and
in other countries as well.
The departments/ministries that run the programmes for children are
selected for calculating the BfC. Further, child-related expense heads in
the detailed demands for grants (DDG) of the concerned departments
are selected for the purpose of calculation. All three budget figures
[Budget Estimate (BE), Revised Estimate (RE) and Actual Expenditure
(AE)] pertaining to the selected heads are entered and tabulated for
comparison and analysis.
For preparing the BfC report, the programmes/schemes are divided
into four sectors specific to children, which are – health, development,
education and protection. In other words, the total budget for children
(BfC) is the sum total of the allocations made towards above mentioned
four sectors. Then the sectoral totals and the BfC are compared with
the total state budget. The share of BfC is calculated with the total state
expenditure which is available in the Annual Financial Statement.

5. BUDGET FOR CHILDREN (BFC) IN NAGALAND 2015-2016
This analysis of BfC in Nagaland is in the backdrop of the recommendations of the 14th
Finance Commission calling for greater
fiscal devolution in the states. There is a growing concern among states regarding the impact of the changing financial archi-
tecture of the country following these recommendations and the dismantling of the Planning Commission. This apprehension is
also evident in the Budget speech of the Honourable Chief Minister, Mr. T. R. Zeliang when he presented the budget for the year
2015-2016 on 23rd
of July 2015 in the State Legislative Assembly.
“Despite the substantial increase in the devolutions from the 14th
Finance Commission awards, the net loss on account
of discontinuation of Normal Central Assistance(NCA), Special Plan Assistance(SPA), and Special Central Assistance
(SCA) are resulting in an overall negative impact on many small States. I am hopeful that the Central Government will
give due consideration to the issues raised by us.
As a result of the changes initiated in the entire Plan Process and the NITI Aayog replacing the Planning Commission,
there was no Plan Discussion with the Central Government for the last financial year (2014-2015). During 2014-2015,
except for CSS, flagship schemes and SPA, there was hardly any untied fund made available to the State. This resulted
in our inability to provide State share to CSS and flagship schemes and many departments had to suffer during this
transitional period. During the current financial year, resources available for development activities continues to be mea-
gre due to the levels of Non-Plan revenue expenditure. Consequently, we are not in a position to fund new projects, and
shall have to concentrate on completion of ongoing projects only”.13
Major Highlights of BfC 2015-2016
• Children have been allocated 13.34 per cent share in the Nagaland state budget 2015-2016. This is much more than the
other North Eastern states of Meghalaya (4.53 per cent), Assam (5.57 per cent) and Tripura (2.68 per cent). It is heartening
to note that the state has allocated a substantial share of its budget to children.
• What is more, the share of BfC in the state budget has increased by 7.90 per cent, despite a decrease in the overall state
budget by 3.08 per cent as compared to the previous year.
• In fact, from 2013-2014 till the current financial year the BfC share in the state budget has observed an increasing trend.
(See Table 3)
Table 3 Share of Children in the State Budget (in crore)
Year State Budget BfC Percentage of BfC
2013-14 9981.83 1113.07 11.15
2014-15 12127.59 1452.83 11.98
2015-16 11754.29 1567.67 13.34
• One of the major highlights is the overspending in many of the schemes against the allocations made. For example, the
scheme for Prevention and Control of Juvenile Social Maladjustment observed 500 per cent over expenditure in 2013-14.
Questions that are bound to be asked are – why this overspending? Where did this excess money come from? Was it
diverted from other heads? And how will it be accounted for?
13 Budget Speech 2015-16, Government of Nagaland
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
2013-14 2014-15 2015-16
Figure 1: State Budget & BfC (in Crores)
Nagaland State Budget BfC
13.34%
86 66%
Figure 2: Share of BfC(BE) in Nagaland Budget
2015-2016
BfC
Other than BfC

6. Sectoral Allocation in the State Budget & within BfC
The share of allocations for all the four sectors are calculated both as share of the state budget as well as within the share of
overall BfC. As with the national budget and budgets of all other states, among all the four sectors, education sector has re-
ceived a maximum share of 11.96 per cent in the state budget in 2015-2016, followed by development sector (1.14 per cent).
While both nationally as well as in other states protection sector receives the lowest share, in the case of Nagaland it is the
health sector that is the least budgeted for (0.09 per cent). However, it is not as if protection sector has received a share of 0.15
per cent, which is still very small considering the protection related challenges that the state faces outlined above.
Table 4: Sectoral Share in the State Budget (in per cent)
Year Health Development Education Protection
2013-14 0.14 1.28 8.00 0.06
2014-15 0.16 1.16 10.90 0.15
2015-16 0.09 1.14 11.96 0.15
• While the share of allocation for both education and protection have seen an increase over the last three years, allocations
for initiatives for both health and development sector for children have seen cuts.
• In fact, it ought to be a major cause of concern to see 44.03 per cent drop in its allocation on health in the current financial
year. And this despite overspending in health sector schemes like Small Pox Eradication Programme in rural areas, BCG &
TB control, Drug Control, National Iodine Deficiency Control etc.
Table 5: Sectoral Share within BfC (in per cent)
Year Health Development Education Protection
2013-14 1.49 13.47 84.45 0.59
2014-15 1.26 9.41 88.16 1.18
2015-16 0.65 8.55 89.70 1.10
• The allocation for the development sector was cut by 2 per cent. At the same time there has been overspending on de-
velopment sector schemes such as Organising Sports and Games, Youth welfare camps, Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel
Abhiyan (PYKKA).
• Many of the schemes like Prevention and Control of Juvenile, National Social Assistance programme, Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan
(State share) witnessed almost 4 to 5 times over-spending of fund in the year 2013-14. At the same time, there has been
under-spending in some of the schemes like Integrated Child Development Scheme, Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan (CSS), Mid-day
Meal (MDM) scheme, State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) etc. in 2013-14. (See Table 6)
• The funds allocated under School Health Scheme, Goitre & Nutrition Programme, Small Pox Eradication Programme in
Urban areas and Universal Immunisation Programme was not spent at all during the year 2013-2014. What could be the
reasons for that? One of the plausible explanations for zero spending in schemes such as goitre and small pox eradication
could be the non-existence of such diseases in the state. However, given the high level of anaemia reported amongst ado-
lescent girls in the state, the underspending for nutrition programme remains a question as does the under-spending under
the Universal Immunisation Programme.
0.09 1.14
11.96
0.15
86.66
Figure 4: Sectoral Share in State Budget in
2015-2016
Health
Development
other than BfC
0.65
8.55
89.70
1.10
Figure 3: Sectoral Share within BfC in 2015-2016
Health
Development

7. Table 6: BE and AE (in Crores) and underspending and over spending under different schemes in 2013-2014
Schemes BE (in crore) AE (in crore) Underspending (-)
Overspending(+) (% )
School Health Scheme 0.65 0 -100
Drug De addiction clinic 0.88 0.62 28.86
Goitre & Nutrition Programme 0.15 0 -100
Smallpox eradication (Urban) 4.02 0 -100
Smallpox Eradication (Rural) 3.16 3.70 +17.01
Drug control 0.22 0.31 +40.25
BCG & TB control 5.48 6.38 +16.57
Universal Immunization Programme (District Level) 0.94 0 -100
National Iodine Deficiency Control 0.29 0.50 +75.07
Sports & Games 2.49 3.88 +55.93
Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) CSS 80.86 49.60 -38.66
Prevention & Control of Juvenile 2.32 14.14 +510.03
National Social Assistance Programme 4.17 20.32 +387.89
Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan (state share) 3.00 14.72 +390.52
Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan (CSS) 96.73 74.13 -23.36
Mid-day Meal Scheme 56.58 18.41 -67.45
Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan 3.03 5.99 +97.70
Khelhoshe Polytechnic 3.46 3.68 +6.60
CHILD HEALTH
Despite child health remaining a huge concern in Nagaland, no priority is being given to this sector. A meagre `10.24 crore is
allocated for all the child health schemes in 2015. Is this allocation enough to provide the minimum of the health care facilities
to 42 per cent of the state population? What is more disturbing, there are very limited health schemes meant specifically for
children in the state.
• In 2015-16, allocation for child health has decreased by 44.03 per
cent as compared to the previous year. This share is lower both
within the overall state budget as well as within BfC. According
to DLHS 4 report 2012-2013, only 35.6 per cent children
of age between 12 to 23 months received full vaccination.14
61.3 per cent of Children (6-59 months) and 43.5 per cent
adolescents(15-19 years) are anaemic.15
Given such disturbing
health status of children in the state, one finds it difficult to explain
the under-spending of funds in programmes for nutrition and
immunisation as noted earlier.
• Reproductive and child health remains a big worry as per the
Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI). The percentage
of pregnant women (15-49) receiving antenatal (healthcare by
professionals during pregnancy) check-up was recorded abysmally low at 41.1 per cent as against the national average of 75.1 per
cent.16
• Only few Schemes like School Health Scheme, BCG & TB Control and National Iodine deficiency scheme received higher alloca-
tion in 2015-2016 as compared to 2014-2015. Such an increase is also noted, in the National Iodine Deficiency Programme which
received 133 per cent higher allocation in 2015-16 in comparison with the previous year. Allocation under schemes like Drug–de-
addiction Clinic, Goitre & Nutrition Programme, Drug Control and Universal Immunisation Programme remained same as in 2014-
2015.
14 h p://rchiips.org/pdf/dlhs4/report/NG.pdf
15 h p://rchiips.org/pdf/dlhs4/report/NG.pdf
16 h p://morungexpress.com/the-paradox-of-nagaland-health-sector/
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
Figure 5: BE, RE & AE in Health Sector
(in crore)
BE RE AE

8. Table 7: Allocation under Major Schemes in Health Sector (in crore)
Schemes 2014-15 (BE) 2015-16 (BE) Increase/ decrease (in per cent)
School Health Scheme 0.72 0.94 +30.74
Drug de-addiction Clinic 0.97 0.97 0
National Smallpox Eradication Programme(Urban) 4.32 0 0
National Smallpox Eradication Programme(Rural) 3.46 0 0
Drug control 0.19 0.19 0
BCG & TB control 6.07 6.08 +0.1
Universal Immunization Programme 1.14 1.14 0
National Iodine deficiency 0.32 0.74 +133.08
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
All the initiatives of the state government for the young child
and those that are more general in nature, including those for
pre-school education, nutritional support and development of
adolescent girls, sports basically those that contribute to the
all-round development of children, have been included under the
generic child development sector.
• Unfortunately, this sector failed to receive an increased
allocation this year with a reduction of 2 per cent in its
allocations (from `136.66 in the previous year to `133.97
crore in the current year). Although there are some increases
in schemes like nutrition, registration of births and deaths,
sports and games etc, but this cut back was due to
decreased allocation in schemes like Integrated Child
Development Scheme, Youth Welfare Camps etc. (See Table 8).
Table 8: Allocation under Major Schemes in Development Sector (in crore)
Schemes 2014-15 (BE) 2015-16 (BE) Increase/ decrease (in per cent)
National Cadet Corps 3.47 3.24 -6.62
Youth Welfare Camps 0.90 0.50 -44.44
Sports and Games 2.55 3.35 +31.60
Establishment of Children’s Parks and Children’s Wards 0.63 0.57 -9.49
Integrated Child Development Scheme(ICDS) CSS 80.86 66.76 -17.43
Registration of Births and Deaths 1.76 3.28 +86.16
Nutrition 45.28 55.23 +21.98
• The allocation of the flagship Integrated Child Development Scheme(ICDS) was reduced by 17.43 per cent from `80.86
crore in 2014-15 to `66.76 crore in 2015-16. This is the most obvious impact of the 14th
Finance Commission recom-
mendations and a major setback as at present there are 56 ICDS projects covering more than 3.75 lakh beneficiaries in
3035 Anganwadi centres that are operating in the state. However, following a lot of protest, in most states there has been
a reinstatement of the cut back budgets. It is possible that this has happened in Nagaland too, and will be reflected in the
next budget.
• Despite 50 per cent adolescent girls being anaemic in the state, the most important scheme, which seeks to improve the
nutritional, health and development status of adolescent girls of 11-18 years of age, the Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY), has not
received any fund in the current year.
0.00
50.00
100.00
150.00
200.00
250.00
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
Figure 6: BE, RE & AE in Development
sector (in Crore)
BE RE AE

9. CHILD EDUCATION
As it is a common practice at both the national level as well as the states, education sector received the highest allocation of
`1406.23 crore in current year’s budget.
• The share of education sector has also increased
by 9.79 per cent as compared to previous year. This
increase is due to enhanced allocation in Sarva Shik-
sha Abhiyan (state Share), Scholarship and stipends
under Middle Schools, State Council of Educational
Research and Training (SCERT), Rashtriya Madhyamik
Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) etc. in 2015-2016 budget.
• Assistance provided to Non-Government Primary
schools in this year remained same as previous year.
• Although, there has been a 4 times increase in
the state share, the flagship Centrally Sponsored
Schemes like Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), the share
of the central government has been reduced. The
same is true of the Mid-Day-Meal scheme. The in-
crease in the state’s commitment to education reflected in its increased allocation is very welcome and reflects the state’s
recognition of the high percentage of out-of-school children as well as dropout rate (53.6%).
Table 9 : Allocation Under Major Schemes in Education Sector (in crore)
Schemes 2014-15 (BE) 2015-16 (BE) Increase/ decrease (in per cent)
Primary School 262.73 260.73 -0.76
Middle school 145.99 141.84 -2.84
Non-govt primary 0.85 0.85 0
Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) 21 21.41 +1.95
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) (state share) 110.34 424.01 +284.27
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) (CSS) 153.19 0 -100
Mid-day Meal (MDM) (CSS) 56.58 0 0
CHILD PROTECTION
Despite a small increase in the allocation for the initiatives that constitute the protection sector for children in Nagaland, the
share in the allocation as share of the state budget (0.15 per cent) as well as within BfC (1.10 per cent) is very small. Nagaland is
not alone in this. Protection of children remains the least prioritised nationally as well as in the states in spite of the recognition it
has received over the last five years through the introduction of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme.
According to the data of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) 2014, there are only 25 crimes recorded against children in
Nagaland that year, of which 11 were child rape cases. The state registered only 1 case of child murder. But it must be remem-
bered that these are based only on reported cases.
0.00
500.00
1000.00
1500.00
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
Figure 7: BE, RE & AE in Education sector
(in Crore)
BE RE AE
It is commendable that Nagaland has pioneered the Communitisation of the education sector, which is a partnership between Government and the
community, involving transfer of ownership of school facilities, control over service delivery, empowerment, decentralization, and delegation of re-
sponsibilities. It has been observed that communitisation has led to increase in school enrolment, reduction in school drop-outs, better attendance of
teachers and improved school facilities which are the primary cause of concern especially Government managed schools both in the rural and urban
areas. Communitisation of education has also given an opportunity to the community in the management, in investment and in owning the delivery
of education. It has helped in reducing dropout rate and increasing enrolment ratio considerably in primary education. Communitisation of health
sector too has resulted in better working of health centres in the villages.
Source: https://nagalandjournal.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/communitisation-of-education-in-nagaland/

10. Other reports however, give cause for concern. A survey data
reveals that there are more than 9 thousand child labourers
engaged in various occupations including household help
across the 11 district headquarters in Nagaland.17
Since there
is an increasing demand for domestic help the problem of
Child labour is increasing too and this has also resulted in
increasing cases of child trafficking cases in the state.
There are reports of young boys and girls trafficked from
Nagaland, rescued from different parts of the country. The
number of human trafficking cases reported in Nagaland
between 2005 and June 2011 is 24. But the actual figures
are feared to be much higher.18
These children were lured by
agents with promises of job opportunities and education.
Minor girls were trafficked to other cities of India on the
pretext of training and job opportunities, but most of them
have landed up at brothels of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata.19
As per official reports, 106 persons were reported missing
in the state from January to May 2011 and the number of
persons traced were only 36.20
• Despite the increase of 0.7 per cent in allocation that is
reflected in the analysis, the `17.24 crore allocated for
protection sector in 2015-2016 seems inadequate.
• The flagship scheme Integrated Child Protection
Scheme(ICPS) received an amount of `16.09 crore and
`0.20 crore was allocated for State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) in 2015-16, while no fund was
provided under these schemes in the previous year.
• The recognition received by ICPS in the state with a 100 per cent increase in allocation is indeed commendable as it is
through this scheme that the human resources and the infrastructure for child protection can be created. The attention
received by the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in terms of the increase in percentage of allocation is also
important, although the amount of money involved is very small.
• It is a matter of concern that there are no schemes or allocation meant to address the problem of child labour and child traf-
ficking in the state.
It is important that the budget allocations of the state take note of the increasing instances of child vulnerability in the state so
that they can be addressed immediately. Without the necessary resources invested in this, the situation will worsen and then get
out of control. It is critical to stem the problem before it exacerbates.
Table 10: Allocation Under Major Schemes in Protection (in crore)
Schemes 2014-15 (BE) 2015-16 (BE) Increase(+)/ decrease(-)(in per cent)
World-Day Against Child Labour 0.06 0 -100
Integrated Child Protection scheme (ICPS) 0 16.09 +100
State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) 0 0.20 +100
Prevention and Control of Juvenile 2.71 0.95 -65.05
National Social Assistance (NSA) 14.35 0 -100
17 h p://thot.in/nmfp/ar cle/child-labor-reaches-new-heights-in-nagaland/
18 h p://www.fs ndia.org/blog/lost-children-nagaland
19 h p://www.fs ndia.org/blog/lost-children-nagaland
20 h p://www.fs ndia.org/blog/lost-children-nagaland
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
Figure 8: BE, RE & AE under Protection sector (in
Crore)
BE RE AE
Government authority’s comment on
child trafficking:
Expressing concern over the rise in
human trafficking cases the Additional
Director General of Police, Nagaland said
Police alone cannot tackle the problem
unless churches, NGO, the Social Welfare
Department, Juvenile Department etc.
work together to curb the menace.

11. CONCLUSION
Much improvement has been noticed in the allocation under BfC in Nagaland over the years, reflected in the increasing
share for children in 2014-15 and 2015-16. In fact, it has the highest share of the children’s budget among all the north-
eastern states that have been studied (Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura being the others). And this is indeed commendable
as it reflects a growing attention to children and the need for investing in them. This increase can be traced mostly to the
education sector that receives the largest share of the children’s budget (almost 90 per cent within BfC and 11.96 per cent
in the state budget 2015-2016). This leaves very little resources (only about 10 per cent of the total budget for children) to
be shared by the other three sectors. Given the health and protection related challenges faced by children, the very small
share of allocation for child health and protection initiatives cannot be flagged as areas that need attention.
So while Nagaland is doing much better than other states in Northeast India in terms of its share of budget for children, it
needs to re-examine its prioritisation, expenditure and implementation.
RECOMMENDATION
• While presenting the budget,2015-16 Nagaland chief Minister quoted “unlike other states we are resource constrained
state with a limited revenue base contributing revenue of only 8 to 9 per cent of total expenditure”. This affects the
development needs of the state, which continues to be weak in critical infrastructure due to scarce resources. This also
affects the situation of children and must be addressed in a tangible manner.
• The financial resources must translate into proper infrastructure which caters to the need of children and address their
needs and rights.
• While compared to other states, the share of BfC is at a satisfactory level, proper utilisation of the allocated resources
must be addressed.
• A lot has been written on the successful implementation of communitisation of education in Nagaland. The success of
such an initiative should have resulted in decreasing dropout rate. However dropout rate in Nagaland is 38.5 per cent at
primary school level, 47.7 per cent at upper primary school level and 53.6 per cent at secondary school level.21
These
disturbing statistics reveal the poor implementation of communitisation initiative. Efforts need to be made to closely
monitor the implementation of communitisation programme.
• Looking at the increasing trend of child labour and trafficking in the state it is necessary to increase the allocation of
funds under protection sector to address the issue.
• As mentioned by the Chief Minister of Nagaland in the ‘Chief Minister’s Sub Group on Rationalization of CSS’ (consti-
tuted by NITI Ayog), the state of Nagaland was born out of political compulsion. It has been thus stated in its 16-point
Agreement “To supplement the revenue of Nagaland, there will be need for the Government of India to pay out of the
consolidate fund of India: Lump sum towards meeting the cost of development in Nagaland, and the grant–in–aid to-
wards meeting the cost of administration’. As such, Nagaland deserves a special dispensation even among the Special
Category States. This further implies that the fund flow from Central Government to State must be made according
to the Special Status category and Nagaland should not be burdened with implementing the Centrally Sponsored
Schemes on their own.
• The process of follow-up action with regard to the proper implementation of the schemes needs to be geared up.
21 h p://www.educa onforallinindia.com/Sta s cs_of_School_Educa on_2011-12,%20MHRD.pdf

12. Prepared By: North Eastern Social Research Centre (NESRC) in partnership with HAQ: Centre for Child Rights
Supported By
terre des hommes, Germany(India Programme)