Patna: The Bihar government on Friday intensified efforts to strengthen child-centric public spending through a technical consultation held in partnership with UNICEF and the Child Rights Centre of Chanakya National Law University. The deliberations focused on refining the design, classification, allocation and monitoring of the State’s Child Welfare Budget for 2026–27.
Addressing officials from more than 15 departments, finance experts and development partners, Bihar Finance Department Secretary (Expenditure) Rachana Patil underscored the need to ensure that higher allocations for children translate into measurable gains in health, nutrition, education and protection. UNICEF Bihar Chief Dr Monika Nielsen called for actionable reforms to enhance planning, expenditure efficiency and accountability, while CNLU Registrar Prof. S. P. Singh stressed the importance of evidence-based policymaking backed by adequate public investment.
Technical sessions reviewed a decade of spending trends and explored national and global best practices in child-responsive public finance. Participants also identified gaps in budget classification and utilisation, recommending stronger expenditure tracking and outcome measurement to make Bihar’s child welfare framework more effective.
