Skip to main content

Gujarat budget ‘disappoints’ with highest 30% reduction in allocation for minorities

By Mujahid Nafees* 

On March 3, Gujarat Finance Minister Nitinbhai Patel presented the budget for the financial year 2021-22 in the Vidhan Sabha. The budget for the outgoing year was Rs 2,17,287 crore, while for FY 2021-22, Rs 2,27,029 crore has been proposed. Compared to the last year’s proposal, in FY 2021-22, there is an increase of Rs 9,742 crore.
However, if one looks at the budget closely, one would see the departments which are very closely connected with larger sections of society, have been neglected by the state government. It suggests that this government does not believe in the “Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas”, a Narendra Modi slogan.
The budget for agriculture and farmers’ welfare was Rs 7,423 crore in FY 2020-21; but for FY 2021-22, it has been reduced to Rs 7,232 core – a reduction of Rs 191 crore.
The budget for the Department of Health and Family Welfare was Rs 11,243 crore, but for FY 2021-22, the Finance Minister has allocated year Rs 11,323 crore – an increase of only Rs 80 crore. This as a time when the country is struggling with a pandemic. It may be noted that adequate resources were not made available to hospitals ever since the outbreak of Covid-19. It was hoped that the government would arrange more budget to strengthen the system of hospitals, but the government gave only lollipop to the common people.
In the budget for the Education Department, the expenditure per child in the Mid-Day Meal Scheme was Rs 4,387.75 in FY 2020-21. In FY 2021-22, the expenditure per child has been kept at Rs 4,310.34 – a reduction of Rs 77.41 per child. This is likely to affect 45 lakh children studying in government schools.
In FY 2020-21, Rs 101.35 crore was proposed for the welfare of the minorities, who fall under the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment; in FY 2021-22, Rs 71.61 crore has been allocated, a reduction of Rs 30.74 crore. This is the biggest reduction in the entire budget. Looking at this, it is clear that the government is creating a bottleneck in their development by discriminating against the minorities.
It seems, the government does not want the minority communities to move forward on the path of development. The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) believes 10% of the budget should have been allocated under special allocation to bring the backward community forward.
In the scholarship scheme of the same department, Rs 575 crore was allocated in FY 2020-21, while Rs 549 crore has been proposed for FY 2021-22 -- a reduction of Rs 26 crore. This will have a direct impact on the minority community and Scheduled Caste children.
For another scheme of the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Saraswati Sadhna Yojana, under which the minority community and scheduled caste girls studying in class 9 are offered bicycles, in FY 2020-21 Rs 80 crore allocation was made for 1,82,500 girls. In the new budget, Rs 71 crore has been allocated for 1,82,000 girls.
The FY 2020-21’s budget allocated Rs 147 crore for Yatradham development, while in FY 2021-22, it has been increased to Rs 154 crore. Ironically, the entire budget of this department is spent for one religion only, which clearly shows the discriminatory character of the government. The Finance Minister's speech mentions the development of temples along with their names.
In FY 2020-21, the Food and Civil Supplies Department was allocated Rs 1,271 crore. In FY 2021-22 it is Rs 1,224 crore, a reduction of Rs 47 crore. In current a difficult times, instead of increasing the allocation that would help food security, the loss of Rs 47 crore will directly affect the disadvantaged communities.
The budget for the Sports, Youth and Cultural Department was Rs 560 crore in FY 2020-21. In FY 2021-22 it is Rs 507 crore, a reduction of Rs 53 crore. This deficiency will affect the youth activities in the village. How will Gujarat play now?
---
*Convener, Minority Coordination Committee, Gujarat

Comments

TRENDING

Avoidable Narmada floods: Modi birthday fete caused long wait for release of dam waters

Counterview Desk  Top advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has accused the Sardar Sarovar dam operators for once again acting in an "unaccountable" manner, bringing "avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat."  In a detailed analysis, SANDRP has said that the water level at the Golden Bridge in Bharuch approached the highest flood level on September 17, 2023, but these "could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous" both for the upstream and downstream areas of the dam, if the authorities had taken action earlier based on available actionable information.

Biden urged to warn Modi: US can declare India as worst religious freedom offender

By Our Representative  During a Congressional Briefing held on Capitol Hill, Washington DC, Nadine Maenza, former Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has wondered why the Biden administration should raise issues of mass anti-minority mob violence  -- particularly in Haryana and Manipur -- with Modi. Modi should be told that if such violence continues, the US will be “compelled by law” to designate India as one of the world’s worst offenders of religious freedom, she urged.

From 'Naatu-Naatu' to 'Nipah-Nipah': Dancing to the tune of western pipers?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  Some critics have commented that the ecstatic response of most Indians to the Oscar for the racy Indian song, “Naatu-Naatu” from the film, “RRR” reeks of sheer racism, insulting visuals and a colonial hangover. It was perhaps these ingredients that impressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, one critic says.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Why iconic Urdu book stall, publishing house Maktaba Jamia died an 'unnatural' death

By Firoz Bakht Ahmed*  We have all grown through the fragrant flavours and flairs of our childhood, one of them being our childhood mother-tongue historic magazines like, “Thakurmar Jhuli” (Bengali), “Khilauna”, Payam-e-Taleem" (Urdu), “Hans” (Marathi), “Parag” (Hindi), “Chitralekha” (Gujarati), “Chandamama” (Telugu), etc. I “drank” Urdu while suckling his mother and learnt the language not from any madrasa, school or college but from these publications only — my treasure trove!

Asset managers hold '2.8 times more equity' in fossil fuel cos than in green investments

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi*  The world’s largest asset managers are far off track to meet the  2050 net zero commitments , a new study  released by InfluenceMap , a London-based think tank working on climate change and sustainability, says. Released on August 1, the Asset Managers and Climate Change 2023 report by FinanceMap, a work stream of InfluenceMap, finds that the world’s largest asset managers have not improved on their climate performance in the past two years.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Evading primary responsibility, ONGC decides to invest Rs 15,000 crore in sick subsidiary

By NS Venkataraman*  It is reported that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will infuse about Rs 15,000 crore in ONGC Petro-additions Ltd (OPaL) as part of a financial restructuring exercise. ONGC currently holds 49.36 per cent stake in (OPaL), which operates a mega petrochemical plant at Dahej in Gujarat. GAIL (India) Ltd has 49.21 per cent interest and Gujarat State Petrochemical Corporation (GSPC) has the remaining 1.43 per cent.

Sales, profits of Indian firms 'deteriorate', yet no significant increase in cost pressures

By Our Representative  The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad's (IIM-A's) latest Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES), a monthly exercise, has said that while cost perceptions data does not indicate significant increase of cost pressures, sales and profits of the Indian firms have deteriorated.

Why Bangladesh is achieving 'new heights' amidst economic collapse of Pakistan

By Sufian Siddique*  Pakistan's economy is on the brink of bankruptcy like Sri Lanka's. Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have fallen below $3 billion. They have asked the IMF for a 'bailout loan' a long time ago, but the IMF is trying to impose strict conditions that Pakistan's current ruling coalition has no capacity to meet. Even China and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan's long-standing loyal friends, are now reluctant to shoulder Pakistan's burden.