Union Budget 2020: The seventh man & the one in five

Minorities constitute about 19 per cent of the Indian population; and Muslims alone make up 14.2 percent of the country’s population as per the 2011 census.

Besides Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Jains too are part of those that are classified as minorities. The Central government runs a separate Ministry of Minority Affairs and a Minority Commission. These too get grants through the annual Budget to meet their establishment and running costs.

Besides, the budget makes provisions for minority-centric schemes which are supposed to enable minorities to catch up with the mainstream.

For example only 57.27 per cent of Muslims, as per the 2011 census data, were literate compared to 74.34 per cent Christians. The corresponding literacy level among Hindus was 63.60 per cent. Lagging behind in terms of literacy is often due to low economic status and consequent social isolation.

Yet, sums set aside to fund and run schemes for minorities by the Ministry have either been reduced over the years, or are grossly inadequate.

Support for students clearing Prelims cut to half: Ministry of Minority Affairs provides assistance to students from minority communities who clear preliminary competitive examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, State Public Service Commissions and Staff Selection Commissions.

The Budget document says, “The objective of the scheme is to increase the representation of minority in Civil Services which is presently much lower than the proportion of minority in the population by giving direct financial support to candidates clearing preliminary examination of Group A and B posts of UPSC, SPSCs and SSC.”

Yet, Rs 20 crore provided in the Budget proposals (BE) for the year 2019-20 has been cut by half to Rs 10 crore in the revised Budget estimate, which means that the government does not expect to spend more than this sum by March-end. Not surprisingly, the Union Finance Minister’s latest proposal (Budget Estimate) for 2020-21, has again been kept at the same level of Rs 10 crore a year.

As per a report submitted by a Government appointed committee in 2006 only three per cent Muslims were in the IAS, 1.8 per cent in the Foreign Service (IFS) and four per cent in IPS, or the Indian Police Service.

This looked up in 2017 when 5 percent Muslims were successful in clearing the civil services examination. Yet, the budgetary provision that could have helped in offsetting their handicap has been halved.

No scheme to increase low representation in private sector: The Budget continues to ignore abysmally low representation of Muslims at higher levels in the corporate sector. The Economic Times had reported about this on September 7, 2018: “…analysis indicates Muslims constitute a mere 2.67% of directors and senior executives — 62 of the 2,324 executives — among the BSE 500 companies. … The Muslim minority, the most deprived communities in the Indian jobs market, doesn’t yet figure on the radar of corporate India.

Even the Affirmative Action (AA) framework, which the private sector was prompted to adopt and implement in the last decade, is largely focused on the Dalits, leaving the Muslims entirely to their own devices.”

Free coaching and allied schemes for minorities: This scheme was meant for “assisting candidates belonging to the economically weaker sections from minority communities by providing them opportunities for enhancing their knowledge, skills and capabilities.

In last year’s Budget proposal for the year coming to an end on March 31, 2020 a sum of Rs 75 crore was allocated but it has been again reduced to Rs 40 crore in the Revised Estimates. And for the next fiscal year (2020-21) that will commence from April 1, 2020 the amount proposed is Rs 50 crore.

Interest subsidy on educational loans for overseas studies: Under this scheme the government meets some of the interest accrued on educational loans taken by scholars from minority communities for studies abroad. The grant for this in 2018-19 was Rs 45 crore. It has gone down to Rs 25 crore in 2019-20 against the Budget proposal of Rs 30 crore. For 2020-21 it has again been proposed to be at Rs 30 crore when it was 45 crore just about a year ago.

Scheme for leadership development of minority women: The past two consecutive Budget proposals for this scheme have been reduced by Rs 5 crore, or from Rs 15 crore proposed in 2019-20 to Rs 10 crore in the Revised Estimates for this year.

It is so when the Budget document flags the scheme as one “to ensure that benefits of growth reach deprived women, such women are being provided with leadership training and skill development so that they are emboldened to move out of the confines of their homes and community and begin to assume a leadership role in accessing services, skills and opportunities available to them under various programmes and schemes.”

Integrated educational and livelihood initiative: The scheme has been christened as Nai Manzil, signifying a new landmark to be hit. And yet the allocation for this was brought down from Rs 140 to Rs 100 crore in the revised budget for the year.

The budget allocation for the next fiscal year beginning in April has been put at Rs 120 crore. The scheme is meant for poor youth to enable them for gainful employment in mainstream economic activity besides re-educating school dropouts from minority communities.

USTAD or Upgrading skills and training in traditional arts/crafts for development: The high sounding acronym USTAD should encompass a vast number of artisans and craftsmen that India has and among whom Muslims have a large share.

Their myriad trades have vast potential for both exports and markets back home. The Government calls it a new scheme to encourage traditional arts and crafts with the intent to preserve them. Yet, the amount marked for this in 2020-21 Budget proposals is a paltry 60 crore. This is the same amount that was given in 2019-20.

Preserving minorities’ culture and heritage: The scheme has also been dubbed by the government with much fanfare as Hamari Dharohar, or our heritage. Yet, a mere rupees three crore have been marked in the Budget for 2020-21. This was also the case earlier when the amount was brought down to this ridiculously low level from the proposed Budget allocation of Rs 8 crore for the scheme.

Poverty levels among Muslims are higher than all other communities, cutting across different faiths. Two enquiry commissions headed by Justice Ranganath Misra and Justice Rajinder Sachar pointed this out. Both the reports have been left to gather dust and their recommendations ignored.

The right-wing communal turn blamed Muslims for joining protests in lieu of Rs 500 a day. The charge is an inadvertent acknowledgement that most Muslims are appallingly poor. This is also because of the apathy in the government to their plight. What minorities need is a level playing field and opportunities. But the Budget has been disappointing.