Hyderabad, July 23: Senior Congress leader and Advisor to the Telangana Government (SC, ST, BC & Minorities) Mohammed Ali Shabbir expressed profound disappointment with the union budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, particularly concerning minority welfare.
Shabbir Ali criticised the BJP Government for not increasing the allocated budget for minority welfare, which remained at Rs 3,183.24 crore for 2024-25, a marginal increase from Rs 3,097.60 crore in 2023-24, later revised to Rs 2,608.93 crore. He pointed out that in a budget of nearly Rs 48.21 lakh crore, minority welfare received only 0.066% of the total budget.
The Congress leader pointed out that the total allocation for education empowerment dropped from Rs 1689 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 1575.72 crore in 2024-25. This reduction impacts various scholarship and fellowship programs. The Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities was reduced from Rs 433 crore to Rs 326.16 crore. The Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities saw a slight increase from the revised Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1145.38 crore, which is down from the original Rs 1065 crore. The Merit-cum-Means Scholarship was reduced from Rs 44 crore to Rs 33.80 crore. The Maulana Azad National Fellowship dropped from Rs 96 crore to Rs 45.08 crore. The Free Coaching and Allied Schemes were drastically cut from Rs 30 crore to Rs 10 crore. The allocation towards interest subsidy on educational loans was reduced from Rs 21 crore to Rs 15.30 crore.
Shabbir Ali also noted a significant decline in the budget for skill development and livelihood schemes for minorities, from Rs 64.40 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 3 crore in 2024-25. He pointed out that allocations for Skill Development Initiatives, Nai Manzil – Integrated Educational and Livelihood Initiative, Upgrading Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts, and the Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women were reduced to nil. He remarked that these reductions in budget allocations could adversely affect the opportunities and support available to students and professionals from minority communities.
Reflecting on the past, Shabbir Ali noted that the previous UPA-led Congress Government established a separate Ministry for Minority Affairs in 2006, with the budget for the Ministry increasing from Rs 144 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 3,531 crore in 2013-14. In contrast, he said the BJP Government had made meagre allocations each year, barely keeping pace with inflation, with less than 60% of allocated amounts being spent. “The results of Lok Sabha elections have shown that people do not endorse the divisive and discriminatory politics of BJP. However, by reducing the allocations for minority welfare schemes, BJP is unwilling to change its ways soon,” he stated.
Shabbir Ali also condemned the BJP Government for neglecting Telangana in the Union Budget. He pointed out that Bihar received a package of nearly Rs 57,000 crore, while Andhra Pradesh was allocated Rs 15,000 crore for the development of the new capital, Amaravati, funds to complete the Polavaram project and other incentives. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not allocating anything significant to Telangana despite winning eight out of 17 seats in the state and warned that people would soon punish the BJP for its anti-Telangana stance. (eom)