MHA gets Rs 1.67 lakh crore; emphasis on police, census

The Union Home Ministry was allocated Rs 1,67,250 crore for the next fiscal with a special emphasis on police forces and works related to Census 2021.

This allocation of the home ministry Budget includes those funds earmarked for the eight Union Territories (UTs) like the newly created Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, which were given Rs 30,757 crore and Rs 5,958 crore respectively, according to the Union Budget presented in the Lok Sabha on Saturday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

As the works for the Census 2021 has begun, the government has allocated Rs 4,568 crore under the Census Surveys and Statistics head.

The houselisting phase of the Census and the National Population Register will be carried out from April 1 to September 30, 2020.

The Census will have its reference date as March 1, 2021, but for snow-bound Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it will be October 1, 2020.

The Union Cabinet has already approved Rs 3,941.35 crore for the NPR exercise.

The Budget allocated Rs 1,126.62 crore for relief on account of natural calamities and Rs 842.45 crore for social security and welfare schemes.

The lion's share of the Home Ministry Budget has gone to the paramilitary forces with the total allocation of Rs 92,054.53 crore for 2020-21.

The allocation to the paramilitary forces will be distributed proportionately to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which is engaged in anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir, the north-east and often deployed for internal security duties, and the Border Security Force, which guards the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders.

The other forces which will also get funds from the Home Ministry are the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Central Industrial Security Force, the Sashastra Seema Bal, the Assam Rifles and the National Security Guard.

Rs 3,688.10 crore has been earmarked as grants-in-aid to the state governments, Rs 1,001.30 crore as grant-in-aid to the Union Territory administrations and Rs 195 crore for works related to the north-eastern regions.

Rs 1140.38 crore has also been earmarked for expenses of the Council of Ministers.

The Budget also earmarked Rs 25,000 crore for the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF), which provides assistance to the states whenever there are natural calamities.

The money is given from the NDRF funds to states for calamities like floods, draught, cyclone, unseasonal rains, hailstorm and quakes.

Interestingly, just Rs 10,000 crore was earmarked for the NDRF in 2019-20.

In addition, Rs 30,757 crore has been earmarked for the newly created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Rs 5,958 crore for Ladakh, Rs 5,164.26 crore earmarked for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Rs 4,635.10 for Chandigarh.

The recently merged UT Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu has been earmarked Rs 2,180.52 crore and Lakshadweep has been given 1,349.71 crore