Telangana Govt Hikes Minority Welfare Budget To Rs 3,003 crore, Cuts Down On SC, ST Allocations

On Thursday, the Congress-led government in Telangana presented the state budget.

State Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Bhatti Vikramarka presented a budget of Rs 2.91 lakh crore for the fiscal year 2024-25 in the Assembly.

Photo Credit: PTI

The Telangana government budget has seen several key changes. On one hand, the party has increased the budget for the Minority Welfare Department, while on the other, it has cut the budgets for the SC-ST departments.

Rs 3,003 Crore for minority welfare

The government has allocated Rs 3,003 crore for the Minority Welfare Department. Previously, the BRS government had allocated Rs 2,200 crore for the Minority Welfare Department last year.

Interestingly, while the Congress government has increased the budget for minorities, it has made record cuts in the SC and ST welfare budgets, reducing it from Rs 21,072 crore to Rs 7,638 crore.

Additionally, the budget for the Tribal Welfare Department has been reduced from Rs 4,365 crore to Rs 3,969 crore.

Strategy to strengthen the Muslim vote bank?

The question now arises whether the Congress government has backtracked on its promise by reducing the SC-ST welfare budget.

The party consistently claims to focus on the welfare of Dalits and tribals, and even received a large number of votes from these communities. Despite this, the party has cut the budget for these groups.

The changed priority in the budget of the Congress government indicates that CM Revanth Reddy wants to strengthen the Muslim vote bank with the party.

Crores allocated for Tablighi Jamaat, Ramadan celebrations

The Telangana government budget includes an allocation of Rs 33 crore for the celebration of Ramadan, Rs 50 lakh for the repair and maintenance of Ashur Khanas, Rs 2.4 crore for the Tablighi Jamaat Islamiya meeting, and Rs 4.43 crore for Haj pilgrims.

Interestingly, the minority population in Telangana is approximately 14%, or around 50 lakh people.

BJP slams move

The opposition BJP has attacked the government for the record fund allocation for the welfare of minorities. The saffron party criticised these allocations, calling it minority appeasement.

Telangana BJP spokesperson K. Krishna Sagar Rao condemned the state for facing financial difficulties while appeasing minorities. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar also slammed the government's decision to allocate Rs 33 crore for Ramadan celebrations.

He said that the government has approved Rs 33 crore for Ramadan festivals but has no new funds for Hindu festivals.