Lok Sabha Question No. 239 (STARRED), answered on 2023-03-16
Subject: Reduction in Budgetary Allocation
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Kunwar Danish Ali

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *239

ANSWERED ON 16.03.2023

## REDUCTION IN BUDGETARY ALLOCATION

*239. SHRI KUNWAR DANISH ALI:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has reduced the budgetary allocation for the fiscal year 2023-24 by thirty eight per cent viz-a-viz the previous year;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (c)  the  details  of  the  steps  being  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  for  the upliftment of minorities in the country?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *239  TO BE  ANSWERED ON  16.03.2023  ASKED  BY HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT SHRI KUNWAR DANISH ALI REGARDING 'REDUCTION IN BUDGETARY ALLOCATION'

(a)  to  (c):   The Government  implements  various schemes  for  the  welfare and upliftment of every strata, including minorities, specially the economically weaker and lesser privileged sections  of  the society,  through  various schemes  of  the  Ministry  of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship,  Ministry  of Textiles,  Ministry  of Culture,  Ministry  of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Rural Development.

Ministry  of  Minority  Affairs  specifically implements various schemes  across  the  country for socioeconomic and educational empowerment of the six (6) centrally notified minority communities.  These schemes give representation to all weaker segments of society including minorities. The Schemes/ programmes implemented by the Ministry during the last five years are as under:

## A. Educational Empowerment schemes

- (1) Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme
- (2) Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme
- (3) Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme

## B. Employment and Economic Empowerment Schemes

- (4) Pradhan Mantri Virasat ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS)
- (5) Equity to National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) for providing concessional loans to Minorities

## C.   Special Schemes

- (6) Jiyo Parsi: A Scheme for reversing the population decline of Parsis in India
- (7)   Quami  Waqf Board Taraqqiati  Scheme (QWBTS) and Shahari Waqf Sampatti Vikas Yojana (SWSVY)
- (8)  Research/Studies, Dissemination, Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Schemes including Publicity

## D.  Infrastructure Development Schemes

- (9) Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK)

The budget of the schemes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs was reduced from Rs. 5020.50 crore  for  the  FY  2022-23  to  Rs.  3097.60  crore  for  the  FY  2023-34  due  to  the  following reasons:

(i)            Adoption  of  new  mechanism  for  release  of  Central  share  of  funds  under  Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Central Sector Schemes, for which State Nodal Agencies (SNA) and Central Nodal Agencies (CNA) were required to be appointed. As per the revised procedure of Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, release of funds under Pradhan Mantri Jan  Vikas  Karyakram  (PMJVK)  are  not  tied  to  the  individual  projects  and  the  amount available  in  the  account  of  State  Nodal  Agency  (SNA)  forms  a  common  pool.  As  on 01.03.2023, the unspent amount with the States in their SNA account is Rs. 2466.48 crore, and the States are required to first incur expenditure from the SNA account, to complete the ongoing projects.

(ii)      Scholarship schemes of the Ministry were to be aligned with the pattern followed by the  Education  Ministry  and  other  ministries  such  as  Tribal  Affairs  and  Social  Justice.  The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) for continuation of Scholarship schemes over the 15 th Finance  Commission  cycle  held  on  23.09.2021  opined  that  since  a  Group  of  Secretaries (GOS)  has  been  mandated  to  examine  the  recommendations  of  the  Group  of  Ministers (GOM)  on  revising  the  existing  architecture  of  the  scholarship  schemes  across  various ministries and the changes that will be decided can only be prospective, it will not be possible to implement the same from this year and the scholarship schemes of MOMA may continue as  it  is  upto  31.03.2022.  EFC  in  its  meeting  held  on  18.01.2023  examined  the  revised proposal and recommended the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Education Empowerment Scheme  for  the  period  2022-23  to  2025-26.  However,  since  verification  of  institutions  is being  carried  out,  funds  under  the  Scholarship  schemes  are  not  being  released.  Further, Central Government  has  taken  the  decision  to limit the  coverage under Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities to only Classes IX and X based on very strong rationale. Firstly, it has been observed that the participation of students from Minority communities is at par with the national average at primary and elementary level. Also, the students at these levels are already covered under Right to Education (RTE) Act. Further, there was a felt need to  harmonize  the  coverage  under  Pre-Matric  Scheme  for  minorities  with  similar  schemes implemented for other target groups like Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and the OBCs.

(iii) These  two  flagship  schemes  of  the  Ministry  -Scholarship  Scheme  and  PMJVK Scheme together account for nearly 80% of the Ministry's budget.

(iv) Skilling schemes under Ministry of Minority Affairs have been amalgamated under the PM Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS).

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