Adopted at the National Meeting of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat
Date: 21st September, 2024
● In nearly all macroeconomic parameters the performance of NDA government has been poor. The unemployment and inflation where the two major issues impacted the results of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, according to the Lokniti-CSDS pre-poll survey (The Hindu, April 11, 2024). There is a no serious efforts to address the inflation and unemployment challenges in this budget. The current schemes for ‘Employment Linked Incentive’, as part of the Prime Minister’s package are not going to work because it a supply side intervention and only wage subsides and skill development of labour cannot solve the current unemployment crisis. There was a rise in the unemployment rate from a little more than 2% in 2000 and 2012 to 5.8% in 2019.
● One of major concern is that there is lack of availability of census/Caste census data which is essential for policy making and budget making. The work of Census 2021 has not started yet. It has implications for the distribution of resources among states and marginalised community because we don’t have real pictures of demography and socio economic and development status of different regions and communities.
Union Budget and Minorities
● In spite of the low development indicators of minorities, there was a drastic decline of 38 per cent in the previous year’s budget (a decrease of Rs 1,913 crore from 2022-23) for the MoMA in 2023-24 and also no change is made in the allocation of budget for minorities in the current financial year. In fact, the total budget of the ministry as a proportion of the total Union Budget has declined to 0.06 per cent in 2024-25 (BE) from 0.12 percent in 2022-23 (BE). This year’s total allocation for the MoMA is almost equal to the amount allocated in 2012-13.
● For the last few years, MoMA has not been able to utilise funds against the BE.
● The major reason behind the decline in the allocation of MoMA has been discontinuation of several schemes/institutions such as Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority students, Interest subsidy on educational loans for overseas students, Free coaching Schemes, limiting coverage of the Pre-Matric Scholarship for classes 9-10, closing the Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF)/Begum Hazrat Mahal Scholarship Scheme, and the Scheme for Madrasas and Minorities. There has also been a decline in allocations for many major schemes, such as Merit Cum Means, Pre-Matric Scheme, Free Coaching and allied schemes, Education Scheme for Madrasas and Minorities, and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK). The decline in the central share in the Education Scheme for Madrasas and Minorities, and subsequent discontinuation of the scheme has affected the education of children in Madrasas due to non-payment of honoraria to teachers in the states for many years.
● As highlighted by the Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Social Justice – 2023-24, the scholarship schemes face several implementation issues with poor utilization of funds, inadequate coverage of beneficiaries due to the quota system, low unit costs due to inadequate allocations of funds, and also scrapping of some of the schemes. The amounts given to students as scholarships are not adequate to meet their educational expenses. The unit cost for scholarships in Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Merit-cum-Means schemes for minorities has not been revised since the inception of the schemes (in 2007-08).
Recommendation
● All India Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat demands that Union should address the issues related to unemployment and inflation with immediate effect. The ccensus/caste census should be conducted as soon as possible. The total budget allocation for MoMA should be increased significantly given the level of deprivation in the educational attainment and economic empowerment of minorities. All scholarship schemes should be made demand driven, and additional financial resources should be provided to enhance unit costs along with a revision in the eligibility criterion related to parental income. Schemes that have been discontinued should be revived. Under the 15 Point Programme, resource allocation should be made in line with the diverse needs of minority communities across different sectors.
Dr Jawed Alam Khan, Executive Director
Institute of Policy Studies and Advocacy, New Delhi