New Delhi: Dr. Javed Alam, Executive Director of the Institute of Policy Studies and Advocacy (IPSA) has urged continued advocacy and scrutiny of the implementation of the Union Budget to ensure fair allocation for minorities.

Speaking at an event organized by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Dr. Javed Alam said, “The Union Budget 2024-25 reduced the allocation for the Ministry of Minority Affairs to Rs 3,183.24 crore, which constitutes only 0.0660% of the total budget. This is a substantial decrease in the allocation of previous years: Rs 4,810.77 crore in 2021-22, Rs 5,020.50 crore in 2022-23, and Rs 3,097.60 crore in 2023-24.”

The IPSA Executive Director expressed disappointment and analyzed the implications of these cuts. He stressed that budget allocations are political decisions that reflect the government’s priorities. He noticed a shift in concentration toward specific states, demonstrating the budget’s political aspect. The advance budget, coming before the elections, is an interim measure that caters only to the administrative expenses until a new government comes into office. But the slashing of the minority affairs’ budget is quite drastic which puts a huge question mark on the commitment of this present government toward the development of minorities.

Alam cautioned that if the present dispensation comes back with its majority intact, there might be drastic changes in policies, involving the dissolution of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and withdrawal of fellowship schemes, which are a great boon for Muslim students and which play an important role in extending support for education and skill development among minorities. He outlined the budget’s impact on minority welfare programs, highlighting problems such as obsolete parental income limitations and fixed quotas for scholarships that have not been updated in years. He asked minority stakeholders to take a practical approach to addressing budget discrepancies, including engaging in talks with the government, shaping public opinion, and pressing the government to cater to fair development for marginalized communities.

Dr Alam also talked about how the budget took various economic initiatives, such as employment-linked schemes and collaborations with the corporate sector. Union Budget allocated Rs 12,000 crore to the Ministries of Corporate Affairs and Labour and Employment for accelerating the generation of employment through synchronized ministry efforts in the 2024-25 financial year.