Delay in scholarships, halt in loan applications: TS schemes for Minorities fail beneficiaries

After cancelling 1.5 lakh pending applications for the Bankable Loan Scheme, the Minority welfare minister, Koppula Eshwar, approved Rs. 50 crores to execute the "Bank Linked Subsidy – Economic Support Scheme" for Minorities by soliciting new applications using the Online Beneficiary Management and Monitoring System (OBMMS) web platform this year, but no amount has been released for this scheme in the current year also and the process of calling application is also halted due to various reasons.

By Naseer Giyas  Published on  24 Sep 2022 1:30 AM GMT
Delay in scholarships, halt in loan applications: TS schemes for Minorities fail beneficiaries

Hyderabad: The state government is not generous in providing budget for several welfare schemes of the Minorities welfare department during the current financial year.

The minority community students who had applied for the Chief Minister Overseas Scholarship for the academic year 2020-21 received their first instalment this year. So far, under the Overseas Scholarship Scheme, a sum of Rs. 6.30 crore financial assistance has been provided to Minority students in the current financial year against the allocation of Rs. 100 crores.

After cancelling 1.5 lakh pending applications for the Bankable Loan Scheme, the Minority welfare minister, Koppula Eshwar, approved Rs. 50 crores to execute the "Bank Linked Subsidy – Economic Support Scheme" for Minorities by soliciting new applications using the Online Beneficiary Management and Monitoring System (OBMMS) web platform this year, but no amount has been released for this scheme in the current year also and the process of calling application is also halted due to various reasons.

As many as 10,000 imams and mauzams, who conduct prayers in mosques, didn't get their honorarium of Rs. 5,000 per month from the Waqf Board for the last four months. The Waqf Board has also not released Rs. 3 crores pending bills of Anis-ul-Gurba, an orphanage in Nampally, which is being renovated with a total cost of Rs. 40 crores.

The finance department had allocated Rs. 1,824.59 crores budget for the Minority welfare department for the year 2022-2023, but the major share of 44% of the allocations, around Rs. 802 crores, go to Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) which runs 204 junior colleges and schools for the community and the remaining 56%, Rs. 1,022 crores, are allocated for welfare schemes and staff salaries.

According to officials, as of date, budget release orders (BROs) of Rs. 1,214.28 crores were issued but the actual expenditure is only Rs. 536.38 crores, which is less than 35%.

Syed Amin Jafri, member of the Legislative Council, AIMIM, said, "We have raised this issue in a recent Assembly session from our party and pointed out that the Central government is not releasing the arrears and share of the state in Central grants and Central taxes are also restricting the state from additional borrowings. The impact of the cut in revenue and capital expenditure on account of lesser revenues and borrowings is felt by all the welfare departments, more particularly the Minorities welfare department."

Jafri said the state government is extending various financial assistance programmes for SCs, STs, and BCs but programmes meant for Minorities, particularly Muslims, are not being implemented for the last five years. Even as half of the current financial year is over, less than 33 per cent of the targets set by the department have been achieved, he remarked.

"The beneficiaries of Shadi Mubarak scheme are getting their cheques after two years and applicants of fees reimbursement and post matric scholarship schemes are also receiving their assistance in the next academic year," Amin Jafri said.

When contacted, the director of the Minority welfare department, Shahnawaz Qasim, refused to comment on this issue and said they are consulting with the finance department to sort out certain pending issues.

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