In a recent interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the UK-based Financial Times inquired about the future of the Muslim in India. In response, Modi diverted attention to the economic success of India’s Parsis, whom he characterised as a “religious micro-minority residing in India.”
“Despite facing persecution elsewhere in the world, they have found a safe haven in India, living happily and prospering,” Modi stated, without directly addressing the approximately 200 million Muslims in the country. “That shows that Indian society itself has no feeling of discrimination towards any religious minority.”
There is indeed no feeling of discrimination towards religious minorities among the common people associated with Indian secular society. However, animosity towards Muslims is apparent among those aligned with the Hindutva ideology, to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself belongs. This hostility is evident in the daily occurrence of hate crimes and hate speeches. Notably, this sentiment is now reflected in the latest budget for the year 2024–25 of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
This time there seems to be a slight increase in the budget compared to the 38% cut in the year 2023-24. The current budget stands at Rs 3183.24 crore, a slight uptick from last year’s Rs 3097.60 crore. However, upon closer examination of the budget details, it is evident that allocations for crucial schemes related to skill development and livelihoods, as well as the educational and social upliftment of minorities, have been reduced this time.
The government’s apparent antipathy towards madrasas is clearly visible in the budget. In the year 2023–24, the education scheme for madrasas and minorities was reduced by 93% to Rs 10 crore as compared to the previous year. This time, it has been further reduced to a mere Rs 2 crore.
The budget for free coaching and allied schemes for minorities has been reduced to Rs 10 crore this time, compared to Rs 30 crore last year. There also seems to be an intention on the part of the government to dissuade enrolment of children from the minority community in schools, as reflected in the consistent reduction of the budget for pre-matric scholarships for minorities each year. In the year 2023–24, the budget for the pre-matric scholarship for minorities was kept at 433 crores; this time it has been reduced to 326.16 crores.
Conversely, initiatives such as Skill Development Initiatives, Nai Manzil — the Integrated Educational and Livelihood Initiative, Upgrading Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development (USTTAD), Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women, Hamari Dharohar for conservation and protection of culture and heritage of minorities, along with important schemes like support for students clearing prelims conducted by UPSC, SSC, State Public Service Commissions, etc., have been entirely halted.
The budget for Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) and equity contribution to the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) is also zero this time.
Dishonesty of the government
The funds announced by the central government for the Ministry of Minority Affairs often undergo revisions and, more often than not, reductions. It is usually less than what the Ministry demands as per its needs, and eventually, in terms of expenditure, it has been noted that the amount granted is not utilised properly.
For instance, in the financial year 2023-2024, the government decided the budget for the Ministry of Minority Affairs to be Rs 3,097.60 crores, but after revising the budget, it was reduced to Rs 2,608.93 crores. It raises curiosity to observe how much this allocation might decrease after the government announces the annual budget for 2024-25, currently standing at Rs 3,183.24 crores.
Additionally, it is noteworthy that the Ministry of Minority Affairs appears to be frugal in its expenditure of funds released by the government in the Revised Budget. For example, a budget of Rs 5,020.50 crore was announced for the years 2022-2023. To illustrate, a budget of Rs 5,020.50 crore was initially announced for the year 2022-2023. However, in the revised budget, this amount was reduced to Rs 2,612.66 crore. Furthermore, when it came to actual expenditure, only Rs 802.69 crore could be utilised.
Recently, many stories of scholarship scams have come to light. According to news in the month of August 2023, about 53% of institutions active under the minority scholarship programme have been found to be ‘fake’. An internal inquiry conducted by the Ministry of Minority Affairs revealed deep-rooted corruption in as many as 830 such institutions, leading to a scam of Rs 144.83 crore in the past five years. Union Minister Smriti Irani has escalated the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further investigation.
Earlier, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, former Minister of Minority Affairs, had accepted in the Lok Sabha that there have been reports of scams in the scholarship scheme. He urged the CBI and the states concerned to look into such allegations. The matter was also raised in the Rajya Sabha on March 15, 2021, by a member of the Congress party.
There, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, in its report, which it presented in the Lok Sabha on February 12, 2021, expressed its opinion about all the schemes being run in the country for minorities, and questions were raised on the working methods of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee, in its report, specifically stated that the funds were going to non-existent students from these scholarship schemes which were meant for children belonging to minorities in six states. The Committee stated that the reported cases of misuse, which are under investigation, are “quite troubling.”
In this apparently pathetic condition of the cuts in the funds for helping the education of minorities, further reductions in the funds and the closure of many such schemes will be detrimental to the minorities in India. This would harshly affect the participation and enrolment of students belonging to the minority community, particularly girls and women, who are already facing manifold issues in society at large. Overall, it could lead to the heightened marginalisation of minorities.
During his tenure as chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi’s administration challenged the constitutionality of scholarships for Muslim students, despite India’s constitutionally enshrined right to affirmative action. As prime minister, Modi made cuts to the Maulana Azad Medical Aid Scheme, which previously offered two fully funded medical check-ups per year to minority students. Additionally, his government has consistently failed to optimally utilise allocated funds for ministry programmes.
Afroz Alam Sahil is a freelance journalist and author. He can be contacted at @afrozsahil on X.
