New Delhi

The breakdown of the union budget for the financial year 2023-24 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on Wednesday reveals that the allocation for the Minority Affairs Ministry has remained unutilized to the tune of a whopping 60 percent.

As against the budgetary allocation of Rs Rs 5,020.6 crore for the Ministry of Minority Affairs in the fiscal year 2022-23, only Rs 2012.66 crore was used. The revised figures (money used) given in the budget presented on Wednesday show that only 40 percent of the allocated funds were utilized for Minorities, mainly Muslims.

The last full-fledged budget of the Narendra Modi government for the fiscal year 2023-24 allocated Rs 3097.60 crore for the Ministry of Minority Affairs led by Smriti Irani. The hike is to the tune of Rs 484.94 crore and amounts to 18 percent.

Union Budget for the Ministry of Minority Affairs for the year 2023-24

The current budget has earmarked  Rs 10 crores for the modernization of madrasas, a key political agenda of the Narendra Modi government in the context of the Muslim community lagging in education. This will be used for Teacher Training and augmenting school infrastructure in minority institutions. In the previous budget, Rs 60 crore was allocated for the same.

The allocation for the Minority Ministry includes Rs 433 crore for the pre-matric scholarship scheme and Rs 1,065 crore for the post-matric scholarship for the minority, mainly Muslim, students.

A total of Rs 540 crore has been allocated for Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS), a skilling initiative from MoMA focused on the skilling, entrepreneurship, and leadership training requirements of the minority and artisan communities.

The scheme is intended to be implemented in convergence with the Skill India Mission of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and through integration with the Skill India Portal (SIP). The scheme has components aiming to benefit approximately 9 lakh candidates in the 15th Finance Commission Cycle, which includes Skilling and Training Component, the Traditional Training sub-component (earlier known as USTTAD and Hamari Dharohar), the Non-traditional Skilling sub-component (earlier known as Seekho aur Kamao), Leadership and Entrepreneurship Component (earlier Nai Roshni), and Education Component.

Furthermore, the Budget allocates Rs 600 crore for PMJYK (Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram), a special area development programme that aims to address the development, deficits in the selected Minority Concentration Areas (MCAs i.e identified districts headquarters blocks/towns/clusters of villages having

substantial minority population which are relatively backward). The MsDP has been restructured and revamped for implementation as Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas KaryakaramThe budget earmarks

The budget has merged several ongoing schemes for allocations to avoid duplication.

The budget has an emphasis on allocations for making Waqf boards across the country efficient in managing their assets. The Waqf boards are also getting assistance for digital mapping of all the land properties to check encroachments.

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Besides, Waqf boards are also being computerized to maintain records of properties, rentals, and other sources of revenue.