By A. Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: The very first budget proposed by the Finance Minister of the Narendra Modi government demonstrates substituted priorities for the minorities as there are many areas where NDA has differed from UPA’s presented budget for the year 2013-2014. Although the Budget allocation does not differ much from the last year but one can easily see the contrast in the spending of ruling NDA and former UPA governments towards Ministry Of Minority Affairs.
NDA government has cut down spending towards ‘Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Minorities’ by nearly 700 Crores than last year but has nearly doubled allocation for Social Security and Welfare which was 111.18 Crore in last year’s budget.
When the share for Multi – Sectoral Development Programme for Minorities in selected minority concentration districts reduced to 8 Crores from last year’s 841.54 Crores, it has freshly accorded 1242 Crores for Multi Sectoral Development Programme for Minorities (MSDP). However, from being a centrally executed scheme MSDP will by now largely be sponsored by the center, and respective states will be the implementing agencies, and will have to chip in a share of the project fund.
It has given priority to Investment in Public Enterprises under the name of ‘National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation’ by three times increasing the allocation than previous year and has sidelined allocation for North Eastern Areas under the category Lump sum provision for project/schemes for the benefit of North Eastern Region and Sikkim by reducing it to 230.5 Crores from UPA’s preceding year’s allocation of 303.03.
One thing which the Muslims would find very difficult to swallow from the budget is the 30% decrease towards ‘Grants in -aid to Maulana Azad Education Foundation’ and 10% reduction in Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students, although the budget introduces Maulana Azad Medical Aid Scheme for which it allocates 1.8 crores.
Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla’s words of providing Merit-cum scholarship for Professional and technical courses of undergraduate and post –graduate level and of pre and post metric scholarships were upheld in the budget as it shows increased numbers lacs.
Grant in aid to Wakf has been increased with more than 20% whereas National Commission of Minorities got more than 30% hike in allocation.
The Budget would annoy Minority Women as the share for Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women has been reduced to 12.5 Crores from 13.24.