The decision to divert funding from water to sanitation turned sour when drought struck India.
Published on: 21/07/2016
A budget tracking study in India revealed that the shift of policy focus from water to sanitation has resulted in a cut in government spending on rural water supply. This was a cause of concern because at the time of the study (August-December 2015) six of the seven states reviewed were reeling under severe drought.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee report released on 6 May 2016 stated that the government would be unable to achieve its 2017 target of providing 50% rural households with piped water. The media accused the government of starving the National Rural Drinking Water Programme of funds, while at the same time increasing funding for Prime Minister Modi's flagship sanitation programme "Swachh Bharat". The government has even introduced an additional 0.5% "Swachh Bharat" service tax.
The Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) is presenting their budget tracking study on 26 July 2016 in Delhi as part of the WASH Dialogues series of events. WASH Dialogues are an initiative of IRC and TARU Leading Edge. CBGA's presentation will focus on the institutional and procedural bottlenecks that are constraining public expenditure in the water and sanitation sector.
For more information on the event "Tracking policy and budgetary commitments for drinking water and sanitation in the new fiscal architecture in India" go the IRC Events page.
See the Resources section below to access the CBGA report.