Minorities welfare gets big fund push

 Hyderabad: The budget for welfare of minorities had been enhanced substantially and an amount of Rs 2,000 crore was proposed this financial year, which is a 60 per cent increase when compared to the amount Rs 1,200 crore allocated previous year. 

There had been substantial increase in allocations for all the schemes and programmes being implemented by Minorities Welfare Department in the 2018-19 budget. Apart from an increase in the establishment expenditure to Rs 25.57 crore, there had been a massive hike in allocations for scheme expenditure of Minorities Welfare Department to Rs 1,974.43 crore. 

The allocations include Rs 15 crore for training and employment schemes, Rs 90 crore for multi-sectoral development programme, Rs 30 crore for pre-matric scholarships, Rs 100 crore for post-matric scholarships, Rs 248 crore for reimbursement of fees, Rs 100 crore for overseas scholarships, Rs 160 crore for subsidy schemes, Rs 25 crore for T-Prime (Minority Entrepreneurs) and IT-SEZ (Minority Industrialists), Rs 80 crore for honorarium to imams and mouzans, Rs 200 crore for Shaadi Mubarak, Rs 40 crore to Urdu Academy, Rs 66 crore for Dawat-e-Iftar and Christmas feast, and Rs 735 crore for Telangana State Minorities Residential Schools and Hostels. 

Finance Minister Eatala Rajender while presenting the budget found that in Telangana, Minorities were also reeling under poverty like SCs and STs. Due to this, the government decided to extend all the schemes meant for the welfare of SCs and STs to the minorities also for their overall development. Minorities Development Corporation had been strengthened. Allocations to Minorities Welfare are being enhanced year after year, he said. 

Besides allocation of Rs 735 crore to Minority Residential Schools, 4,300 square yards land along with Rs 20 crore had been allotted for constructing a building to Anis-Ul- Gurba which takes care of orphans from Muslim community. The subsidy under self-employment schemes for minority youth had been enhanced from 50 per cent to 80 per cent. “The government allotted 10 acres land at Kokapet for construction of Hyderabad Islamic Centre cum Conventional Hall with international standards,” the Finance Minister said.