KOPPAL: Gram panchayats in the state will soon have a separate budget to give thrust to their comprehensive development plan for children, according to highly placed sources.
Targeted at preventing child labour, child marriages and malnutrition among others, the specific budget will be evolved in coordination with the various departments concerned. The budget also plans to ensure separate grants for children in the age group of 0-3, 3-6, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14 and 15-18, based on their specific requirements.
According to the 2011 census, children in the 0-14 age group account for 29.5 per cent of the total population in the country, and 25.7 per cent in the state.
The GPs will have to form committees comprising officials from the health, women and child development departments to prepare the plan, which will incorporate various sport, literary, theatre and other children-related activities. These activities could be taken up at anganwadis, primary and high schools under the budget.
After getting the approval for the budget at GPs, action plans will be prepared and implemented within a definite time frame, said Rural Development and Panchayat Raj principal secretary Uma Mahadevan.