Hyderabad : The Congress has condemned the TRS Government for slashing the budget for Minorities’ welfare by over 30% and described the move as a conspiracy to deprive Minorities of education and economic empowerment.
Addressing the media at Gandhi Bhavan on Wednesday, TPCC Minorities Department Chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail said the budget for Minorities’ Welfare has been slashed from Rs 1884.43 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1314.50 crore in 2019-20 by cutting down Rs. 569.93 crore or nearly 30.24%.
A closer look at department-wise cuts clearly show a pattern wherein TRS Government targetted education and economic upliftment of minorities, especially Muslims. Of 30 Heads of Departments/Schemes under Minorities Welfare, budget has been reduced by more than 50% for 17 schemes/HoDs,” he said. Furnishing the complete department-wise break up, Sohail said the budget has been cut by 100% for 3 HoDs, more than 90% for 2; more than 80% for 7; more than than 70% for 1 and more than 60% for 4 HoDs.
Abdullah Sohail alleged that not a single rupee loan was given to minorities in TRS Govt’s first term although some allocations were made under Subsidy for Bank Linked Income Generated Schemes HoD. More than 1.5 lakh jobless minority youth had applied for loans in 2015-16, but no one got any assistance. Last year Rs 160 crore was allocated, but nothing was spent. This year this allocation has been slashed to Rs. 28.31 crore by enforcing a cut by 82%.
Similarly, he said that T-Prime & T-SEZ schemes remained a non-started. Last year, Rs. 25 crore was allocated, but not a single rupee was released. This year the amount has been reduced to zero. He slammed the State Government for huge deduction in budget for Telangana Christian Minorities Finance Corporation.
Sohail also dared the MIM to sever its ties with TRS for the drastic cut in budget for minorities’ welfare. He warned that the Congress party would launch a state-wise agitation against the cut in the budget for Minorities’ welfare. (NSS)
