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Rs 1,105 cr for minority welfare: lack of schemes raises eyebrows
Rs 1,105 cr For Minority Welfare: Lack Of Schemes Raises Eyebrows. The government’s intention of increasing the budget allocation for minorities from Rs 1,032 crore (2014-15) to Rs 1,105 crore (2015-16) has raised many an eyebrows, as it spent only less than 30 percent of the allocation during the last year.
Hyderabad: The government’s intention of increasing the budget allocation for minorities from Rs 1,032 crore (2014-15) to Rs 1,105 crore (2015-16) has raised many an eyebrows, as it spent only less than 30 percent of the allocation during the last year.
Many experts and activists feel that the government has allocated huge funds for minorities in 2015-16 budget and it would be of no use when there are no specific welfare schemes besides ‘Shaadi Mubarak’ to be spent upon. It is also pointed out that the government, which promised fund allocation as per the proportion of population, could only allocate 0.95 percent to the minorities even though there are 14 percent of minorities in the State.
According to M A Ghayas, State general secretary of Awaaz, an NGO, there are no specific schemes for minorities, where these funds would not prove beneficial to the group, apart from newly introduced ‘Shaadi Mubarak’. Even though 80 percent of the minorities are in Below Poverty Line (BPL) and 92 percent are employed in unorganised sector, lack of clarity over utilisation of these funds would prove futile once again. “Most of them are crushed under the burden of interests from private financers as no bank extends loan to them,” he says.
The Minority Corporation which should have supported various schemes has been reduced to implementation of fee reimbursement and scholarships. The funds allocated for minorities, which are not utilised would be again adjusted into the government’s account. “Rather than indulging in jugglery of figures, the government should help the minorities economically,” Ghayas demanded.
