The story so far: Education is the most powerful tool for the socio-economic development of a nation, more so for minorities. Highlighting the significance of education for religious minorities in India, Niti Aayog, the government’s top think tank, released a policy document in 2017 calling for measures to improve the implementation of current programmes. The Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre also announced its commitment to inclusive growth in the nation.
However, the Centre has in the past few years discontinued two key educational schemes for religious minorities, narrowed the scope of another and gradually cut down on the expenditure incurred on multiple programmes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
The shift in policy came despite a significant drop in beneficiaries between 2019 and 2022, even as funds remained underutilised, reveals the latest data tabled in Parliament. During the period, the government spending on six educational schemes for religious minorities dropped by around 12.5%, while the number of beneficiaries declined by 7%. This financial year, the Centre slashed the budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Minority Affairs by 38.3% from the previous year, with the budget estimate for 2023-24 seeing a drop from Rs 5,020.5 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 3,097 crore. Notably, the 2022-23 estimates were revised to Rs 2,612.66 crore, indicating an under-utilisation of nearly 48% of funds.
