UP Budget 2018: Yogi Adityanath hikes minorities welfare budget by 11%

Yogi Adiyanath has stressed on PM Modi's "Sabka sath sabka vikas" motto for UP's state budget 2018

In the election year, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has hiked the minorities welfare department budget by over 11% to Rs 27.57 billion.

In the 2017-18 state budget, the Adityanath government had in fact slashed minorities department budget by almost 19% to Rs 24.75 billion from Rs 30.55 billion in 2016-17, when Akhilesh Yadav was at the helm (2012-17).

Besides, UP Budget 2018, presented on Friday, has provided Rs 4.04 billion for the scheme to modernise state Arabic-Persian madrasas. The government has allocated Rs 4.86 billion for the Arabic medium schools. A budgetary grant of Rs 2.15 billion has been made for 246 permanently recognised Arabic-Persian madrasas at ‘Aalia level’.

Madrassas are minority educational institutions offering study in Islamic theology and religious law. Currently, there are about 19,000 recognised and 560 aided madrasas operating in UP.

The exigencies of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi would seek re-election, has compelled the Adityanath dispensation to increase the minorities department budget to keep the community in good humour and shrug off the tag of toeing Hindutva agenda while neglecting minorities.
 

UP minorities welfare department budget

	Fiscal	Budget	% up/down
1	2010-11	Rs 10.42 billion	-
2	2011-12	Rs 11.43 billion	9.70
3	2012-13	Rs 20.74 billion	81.45
4	2013-14	Rs 23.74 billion	14.46
5	2014-15	Rs 12.39 billion	- 47.80
6	2015-16	Rs 28.26 billion	128.00
7	2016-17	Rs 30.55 billion	8.10
8	2017-18	Rs 24.75 billion	-18.98
9	2018-19	Rs 27.57 billion	11.39

In December 2017, in its first supplementary budget for 2017-18 tabled in the state legislature, the Adityanath government had provided Rs 740 million towards monetary purse for the marriage of girls belonging to poor among the minorities. Supplementary budget is tabled to get the legislature approved for meeting additional expenses during the course of the financial year over ongoing or proposed projects.

The government had also given additional funds of Rs 100 million for setting up of multipurpose educational hubs in minority-dominated areas of UP. At umpteenth occasions, Adityanath has stressed Modi’s pet theme of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ or the socioeconomic progress of all the communities without favour and discrimination.

In his first Annual Budget 2017, the Adityanath government had allocated about Rs 3.94 billion for the modernisation of registered madrassas in UP, including the introduction of modern subjects in their curriculum along with Islamic religious studies.

During the Yadav regime, the minorities welfare department had come and the r spotlight after the Samajwadi Party (SP) government increased its budget by over 81 percent from Rs 11.43 billion in 2011-12 to Rs 20.74 billion in 2012-13. From 2011-12 to 2016-17, the UP minorities’ welfare department budget witnessed a hike of 167% from a mere Rs 11.43 billion to Rs 30.55 billion.