Former minister Mohd Ali Shabbir slams Centre for poor allocation to minority affairs

Hyderabad: Former minister Mohd Ali Shabbir strongly condemned the BJP government for not increasing the overall allocation to minority welfare in the budget 2022-23.

Ali said the allocations to minority affairs has been reduced to the 2020-21 level. "An amount of Rs 5,020.50 crore has been allocated for 2022-23. While this is Rs 674.50 crore more than the revised figures of Rs 4,346.45 crore in 2021-22, it is less than the allocation of Rs 5,029 crore made in 2020-21. Therefore, the slogan of the PM of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas' has once again proved hollow.

He said the government had spent about Rs 37.70 lakh crore in 2021-22; it proposes to spend Rs 39.45 lakh crore in the next financial year. Instead of increasing the allocations for the welfare of minorities on par with expenditure on other schemes, the government completely neglected the minorities in the budget. "The Modi government wants to implement welfare schemes for nearly 26 crore people (or 19.4 per cent of minorities) across the country with an amount of just Rs 5,020.50 crore. This will come to average spending of about Rs 193 per person per year belonging to the minority community."

Ali pointed out that the allocation for skill development initiatives has been reduced from Rs 276 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 235.41 crore in 2022-23. Similarly, he said, funding for the Nai Manzil - the integrated educational and livelihood Initiative has been reduced from Rs 87 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 46 crore in 2022-23. Likewise, allocations have been reduced for the scheme for leadership development of minority women.

He said the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was 'highly disappointing' for the minorities.