Budget for minority welfare reduced, where is “sabka vishwas”?, asks MCC

The Coordination Committee (MCC), a Gujarat-based civil rights organisation, has regretted that the Union budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has "reduced" the total amount for minority welfare to ₹2,508.78 crore for 2019-20 compared to ₹2,452.55 crore in the previous financial year.

A reduction of ₹56.23 crore, MCC coordinator Mujahid Nafees said, overall, the size of the budget for the Ministry of Minority Affairs has remained the same as in the previous financial year -- ₹4,700 crore. He added, under the head social security and welfare, too, the allocation has been reduced by ₹3.23 crore -- from ₹494.79 crore to ₹491.56 crore.

Demanding that budget for the minorities should be at least 10% of the total budget size at a time when the total size of the budget has been increased by ₹1,33,200 crore, Nafees said, "This is good enough reason to insist that the government should have increased the amount allocated for the minorities," and with "no increase in the Minority Affairs Ministry budget, there is reason to suspect discrimination."

He wondered, where is the Prime Minister's claimed effort to uphold his slogan, Sabka saath, sabka vikas, savka vishwas".