Centre’s minority welfare grants to UP cut by 50% in 5 years: BSP MP
LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Kunwar Danish Ali has alleged that the budgetary allocation to the state for minority welfare was reduced by 50% over the past five years and wondered if this was actually proof of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) ‘sab ka saath and sab ka vikas’ motto.
“Besides reduction in the Centre’s grant, UP’s utilisation of the grant last year was a meagre 9.9%,” said Ali, who represents Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha constituency in the Lok Sabha.
‘Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas’ (cooperation with all, development of all) was the BJP’s election slogan. The party later added ‘sab ka vishwas’ (confidence of all) to it to showcase its intent of winning the trust of minorities, especially Muslims.
“The funds allocated to Uttar
Pradesh for the year 2015-16, the first year of the Modi government, was Rs 32,462 lakh and (the state) utilised Rs 20,248.16 lakh (62%). Next year (2016-17), the allocation by the Centre was reduced to Rs 14,364 lakh i.e. 44.2% and when BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh during 2017-18, the utilisation declined to 39%,” the BSP MP said.
He added that the details came in response to a written reply to his query in the Lok Sabha. The query was regarding the allocation of funds to UP for the welfare of minorities during the last five years for various programmes, details of funds utilised by the state during the period and how the funds were used under the multi-sectoral development programme for the welfare of minorities during the period, he said.
“During the election year (2018-19), the allocation was increased to Rs. 37,653.07 lakh, but on-ground utilisation further declined to Rs 11,811.60 lakh (31%). I was shocked and surprised to know that during the year (2019-20), it has gone down to only 9.9%,” Ali added.
“The total allocation of funds from 2015-16 was reduced to less than 50% and the UP govt utilized less than 10% out of the allocated funds,” he said.
BJP DENIES ALLEGATION
While UP minority affairs minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’ and Mohsin Raza, minister of state for minority welfare, weren’t reachable, the ruling BJP denied Ali’s charge. “Often, attempts are made to discredit us by citing statistics indiscriminately. Everyone knows how Muslims had been reduced to a mere vote bank in the past. Now, with progressive measures, , our government is trying to ensure all- round development,” said UP BJP secretary Chandramohan.