Minority Welfare gets just 0.63 pc of the total outlay

Andhra Pradesh government has made a dramatic increase in the budgetary allocation for minority welfare from Rs. 488.57 crore to Rs. 1027.22 crore. However no new scheme has been mentioned in the estimate. Although the allocation has been more than doubled from the Rs. 488.57 crore provided last year to Rs. 1027.22 crore but it is only 0.63 percent of the total outlay.

Rs. 7.22 crore have been allocated to planned expenditures and Rs. 1020 crore have been apportioned under unplanned expenditure. Funds of Rs. 3 crore for govt. hostels, grant in aid of Rs. 2.80 lakh for Daeratul Maarif, Rs. 15.65 lakh for Makkah Masjid and Shahi Masjid Bagh-e-Aamma, Rs. 6.85 lakh for maintaining Waqf properties and Rs. 26.11 lakh for Waqf tribunal have been allocated.

Funds for pre-matric and post-matric scholarships saw a sharp increase from Rs 96 crore to Rs 310 crore. Estimates for tuition fee reimbursements were hiked to Rs 320 crore from 2012-13’s Rs 220 crore. Also, the state government’s contribution towards the central government’s scholarship schemes was increased from Rs 45 crore to Rs 70 crore. Grant in aid for the Centre for Educational Development of Minorities (CEDM) which provides training to youth from minority communities for competitive exams was increased from Rs 20 crore to Rs 30 crore.

The allocation for AP State Minorities Finance Corporation’s (APSMFC) bankable schemes was increased from Rs 25 crore to Rs 118.5 crore. While the grant in aid for the Andhra Pradesh State Waqf Board was increased from Rs 80 lakh to Rs 33 crore for 2013-14. The aid to APSMFC was doubled from last year’s Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore. Further, Urdu Academy too was given a grant in aid of Rs 15.11 crore as against last year’s Rs 5.35 crore.

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