The Budget allocation for the Ministry of Minority Affairs was reduced by 38% for the financial year 2023-24 to the year 2022-23. Several scholarship and skill development schemes got major fund cuts including the merit-cum means scholarship for professional and technical courses for students from minority communities. The schemes have been allotted funds of ₹44 crore this year, while the Budget for the same was ₹365 crore last year.
The Budget estimate for the Ministry of Minority Affairs was ₹5,020.50 crore in 2022-23. This time, the Ministry has been allotted ₹3,097 crore. To mention, the revised allocation of the funds to the Ministry in 2022-23 was ₹2,612.66 crore.
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The Finance Ministry has also slashed the funds for the pre-metric scholarship for minorities for the financial year 2023-24 with over ₹900 crore. The scholarship funds in the last Budget were ₹1,425 crore, which is reduced to ₹433 crore this year.
The funds for post-metric scholarship, however, have been increased from ₹515 crore to ₹1,065 crore.
Schemes under the Ministry of Minority Affairs that provides support for students clearing Prelims conducted by UPSC, SSC, and State public service commission got nothing in the ongoing financial year. The Budget for the same was 8 crore last year. Similarly, the free coaching and allied schemes for minorities too saw a Budget cut of around 60% this year. The same was 79 crore last year, while 30 crore has been allocated for the same this year.
The total allocation of the Budget for education empowerment for minorities which was ₹2,515 crore last year is reduced to ₹1,689 crore this year.
Skill development training like Nai Manzil, USTAD got a Budget of mere ₹10 lakh, the same was ₹235 crore and ₹7 crore last year. The Budget for research schemes for minorities too has been slashed to ₹20 crore from ₹41 crore last year. The total funds for various skill development and livelihood schemes were ₹491 crore in 2022-23 and the same is ₹64.40 crore this year.
In a massive fund cut, the Education Scheme for Madrasas and Minorities has been allocated ₹10 crore for the financial year 2023-24. The same is 93% less than the Budget allocation of 2022-23, which was ₹160 crore.
Almost 50% cut is there in the special schemes for minorities which includes research, studies, publicity, monitoring and evaluation of development schemes for minorities, for conservation protection of the heritage of minorities and schemes for containing population decline of minorities.
Meanwhile, a new addition, Prime Minister-Virasat ka samvardhan (PM Vikaas) has been added to the Ministry of Minority Affairs’ Budget this year. A total of ₹540 crore has been allotted under the same.
Jawed A. Khan from the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability told The Hindu that the Budget allocation for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK), erstwhile Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) launched in 2008 and restructured in June 2013 is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), is reduced massively this year.
The Budget for PMJVK was ₹1,650 crore last year which is reduced to ₹600 crore this year.
“The objective of the Scheme is to develop socio-economic infrastructure and basic amenities in the identified Minority Concentration Areas for improving the quality of life of the people in these areas and reduce imbalances as compared to the national average,” he said.
On the basis of Census 2011 data, 870 Minority Concentration Blocks (MCBs), 321 Minority Concentration Towns (MCTs) and 109 Minority Concentration Districts HQs (MCD HQs) falling in 33 States/UTs have been identified.
“Given the large geographical coverage of PMJVK, the decline in allocation in this year’s Budget (₹600 crore) from the last year’s Budget (₹1,650 crore) is going to impact the implementation and desired objective of the scheme could not be achieved,” he added.
