THE UNION BUDGET AND THE ALLOCATION TO MINORITIES

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The Union Budget for 2023-24 came with a reduction of 38% in funds for the Ministry of Minority Affairs. The fund crunch is likely to impact spheres of madrasas besides general school education, higher research and local development in areas of minority concentration.

Which schemes are affected?

• The worst affected scheme under the all-encompassing fund crunch is the Education Scheme for Madrasas which suffered a whopping 93% cut in allocation, down to ₹10 crore from the ₹160 crore in the previous financial year.
• The allocation of ₹160 crore was itself a comedown from ₹174 crore in the previous fiscal year.
• The total allocation for minorities’ educational uplift was slashed to ₹1,689 crore from ₹2,515 crore last year with schemes for research as well as pre-matric scholarships experiencing a fund withdrawal or downsizing.
• The allocation for research schemes for minorities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis was reduced by a little more than 50%, down from ₹41 crore last year to ₹20 crore this year.
• On the same lines, the government hugely cut the funds for pre-matric scholarships for minorities, down from ₹1,425 crore last year to ₹433 crore in the upcoming financial year. Completing the picture for fund-strapped schemes was the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJYK). The allocation for PMJYK came down from ₹1,650 crore to ₹600 crore this year.
• The scheme aims to provide socio-economic infrastructure and elementary amenities in minority concentrated areas.
• It was said to be a key part of the government’s Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas initiative. The latest Budgetary setback comes on the heels of the scrapping the Maulana Azad National Fellowships for higher education.

Why was Nai Udaan grounded?

• The Nai Udaan Scheme meant to help minority students prepare for the Union Public Service Commission examinations was grounded. It was argued that the scheme overlaps with other similar affirmative plans of the government.
• The decision to cut funds for socio-economic and educational uplift of minorities has cast a shadow far and wide.
• For instance, the Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women which received ₹2.5 crore last year is now down to ₹10 lakh as per the new Budget.
• The Hamari Dharohar Scheme for conservation of minorities’ culture and heritage which got ₹2 crore earlier, is now down to only ₹10 lakh.
• The worst sufferer was the Skill Development Initiative among minorities. It received ₹235 crore in 2022-23 but is now down to merely ₹10 lakh.
• The funds for Nai Manzil, an integrated educational and livelihood scheme, were brought to just ₹10 lakh from the earlier ₹46 crore.
• For the Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development scheme (USTTAD), the monetary allocation was slashed to ₹10 lakh in comparison to the ₹47 crore in 2022-23. The loan subsidy to minorities to study abroad under the Padho Pardesh Scheme also stood withdrawn.

What has the government said?

• The decision to scrap various scholarships followed by significant cut in budgetary expenditure for minorities resulted in several protests with many students from economically poor backgrounds pleading for continuation of the affirmative action.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB