By Mohd Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Minority’s Welfare Department [MWD] has submitted a proposal for allocation of funds up to Rs 1,200 Crore for the year 2012-13, at a meeting called in by the Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy.
Minorities’ Welfare Minister Mr. Mohd Ahmedullah who attended the meeting on behalf of MWD, said minorities comprise 12% of state population and majority of the underprivileged and backward classes are from the minorities, so a special care should be given to them. He said department could not take up repairs and maintenance of churches and wakf properties including Eidgahs, Mosques, Graveyards, and Darghas under the limited and meagre fund allotted in the 2011- 2012 fiscal year. Last year the budget allocated to MWD was only Rs 350 crores. Mr. Ahmedullah requested the minister to sanction a separate 78 crore for the purpose of electronic mapping and conservation of wakf properties.
According to the minority affairs minister, major chunk of the funds allocated are used for scholarships, thus fee-reimbursement and scholarship on saturation basis are often cutting into the funds allocated to MWD. Last year nearly 90% of budget allocation went towards fee-reimbursement and this denies other developmental activities intended for the weaker section.
The finance minister asked MWD to cooperate with the social welfare department to weed out ineligible and creamy layer candidates who are applying for scholarships and thus destructing its very purpose. The budget allocation towards fee-reimbursement could thus be reduced, he said. However, he promised MWD to increase its budget allocation for this fiscal year.
The meeting was called in by the finance minister to hear on different departmental views before finalizing the state budget for 2012-13.