Budget allocations made for the social sector are not enough with some ministries receiving less than one percent of the GDP, according to a think tank.

The human resource development ministry received a crumb off the budget pie, getting Rs. 49,904 crores - 0.72 percent of the GDP. Budget provisions for the ministry, thus, remained at the same level (as proportion of GDP) as it was last fiscal year, according to the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountancy.

The increase would be grossly inadeqaute given the need for a complete revamp in the expenditure norms in central schemes like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan if right to education (RTE) is to be implemented properly, CBGA said in its analysis.

This, when the government has been unprecedentedly voluble in reasserting its committment to the succesful implementation of RTE.

The health and family welfare ministry received Rs. 25, 154 crores - 0.36 percent of the GDP. The inadequate allocation would impede implementation of maternal and child health programmes  from the 11th five-year plan, the think tank maintains.

Little has been accorded towards the improvement of working conditions and remuneration for women with budget silent on changes in these regards, even though it increased the overall budget of the women and child development ministry. Similaarly, the ministry for social justice and empowerment received marginal increments in the allocation in the current budget, but union government does not seem to recognioze the need for implementing the tribal and scheduled caste sub-plans across its ministries, CBGA says.

Although the FM in his budget speech has recognized the need for provising more resources for food security, education and health the same does not seem to have happened in this budget", Yamini Mishra, CBGA's executive director, said.

"With a clear indication of the economy recovering fast, the government should have taken an expansionary fiscal stance not only for the economic growth but also for social sector development," she added.