TG Budget: Minorities’ welfare in a tight spot owing to fund crunch

Those heading TS Minorities Finance Corporation, TS Urdu Academy and TS Waqf Board remain clueless about the feasibility of implementing different schemes in this financial year

Hyderabad: With just less than a week for the Telangana budget session, the departments under Minorities Welfare remain in a mess owing to fund crunch. Those heading TS Minorities Finance Corporation, TS Urdu Academy and TS Waqf Board remain clueless about the feasibility of implementing different schemes in this financial year.

With most of the departments housed in the Haj House in Nampally the hustle and bustle which was witnessed during the latest Haj season has slowly given away to the indolence. This is in contrast to other departments which are holding review meetings as part of preparedness for the upcoming budget session. The officials in different departments in Haj House are yet to gear up to convene initial meetings regarding the budget proposals. Sources have confirmed that owing to lack of funds, there were no deliberations whatsoever.

In February, the Vote on Account budget by the State government had earmarked Rs 2,262 crore, but there remains a growing apprehension about the implementation of various schemes and about the seriousness of provision of these funds for utilisation. For instance, the Minorities Finance Corporation which each year had budget allocations for implementing different schemes like subsidy linked bank scheme for employment generation, is yet to convene initial meetings. Similar is the case for Waqf Board, which remains embroiled in pending court cases and litigations and keen in resolving those for now. When questioned, one of the higher ups expressed ignorance of the possibility of review of the Waqf Board at Secretariat. “Don’t know when it will be taken up,” he quipped.

Meanwhile there is growing unease within Minority groups, particularly Muslims as no substantial position neither political or in administration has been offered to the community. “We will be holding a round table conference before the budget session. The Congress government which came to power with the votes of underprivileged and backward communities should at least give practical budget allocations, unlike the previous BRS government. We shall be submitting a memorandum in this regard shortly,” said Sanaullah Khan of SC,ST,BC Muslim Front.

Similar views were expressed by young social activists working for the employment and social security of the weaker sections. Shaik Salauddin, Founder State President of TGPWU (Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union) said that the Congress which came to power by promising Gig and Platform Workers their due has completely ignored them. He said in contrast there was considerable progress in Karnataka and Jharkhand, which have come up with draft bills and placed them in public domain.

S Q Masood, secretary, ASEEM (Association for Socio-Economic Empowerment of the Marginalised) felt that the civil society groups are yet to be invited for ‘pre-budget consultations’ by departments like Finance Corporation, if it was serious enough to support unemployed youth. Masood reminded how Revanth Reddy before coming to power had promised to implement the ‘Minority sub-plan’, on the lines of SC,ST sub-plan.