Telangana: Where is promised Rs 4,000 cr budget for Minorities? asks BRS

Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) has strongly condemned the Congress government for not allocating sufficient funds for the welfare of minorities in the Vote on Account budget presented by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Saturday for the financial year 2024–25.

“In a budget of about Rs 2.75 lakh crore, a meager sum of Rs 2,262 crore has been allocated for minorities’ welfare. This is just 0.82 percent of the total budget and only Rs 62 crore higher than the allocation made by the previous BRS government in 2023–24,” BRS said in a media statement today.

It is highlighted that there is no mention of minority welfare schemes in the Vote on Account budget. In a 40-page speech, the word “minority” was mentioned only five times with no specific reference to any scheme.

It is pointed out that the Congress government has only stated that existing residential schools for minorities would be strengthened but has not made any allocations. While Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated for the construction of SC schools and Rs 250 crore for ST schools, no provision has been made for minority schools.

“Where is the promised Rs 4,000 crore budget for minorities and a Minorities Sub-Plan?” party asked, referring to the promises made in the Minorities Declaration by the Congress party during the Assembly elections. It accused the Congress government of cheating minorities in the name of doubling the welfare budget compared to the BRS regime.

“The Congress government is taking revenge on minorities who voted for the BRS in previous elections. First, it deprived Muslims of a berth in the state cabinet, and now, by neglecting them in the budget, it is sidelining their welfare,” party alleged.

BRS announced that the party would launch an agitation to pressurize the Congress government to honour the promise of a Rs 4,000 crore budget, the minorities sub-plan, and other assurances.