India’s Minority Affairs Budget: A Closer Look
India’s minority affairs budget has shown minimal growth in recent years, despite a significant decrease in actual spending and concerning educational trends among Muslims in the country.
An insightful policy paper and parliamentary intervention have shed light on the widening disparity between budget allocations and tangible outcomes, raising alarms among analysts and opposition leaders.
Policy researcher Jawed Alam Khan’s comprehensive analysis from the Institute of Policy Studies and Advocacy reveals a restrictive shift in the government’s approach to minority welfare.
The report highlights a troubling statistic: while Muslims make up around 14 to 15 percent of India’s population, only 4.6 percent of higher education enrollment comprises Muslim students. This disparity underscores the persistent under-representation and limited educational opportunities for the community.
Khan’s study draws attention to the Ministry of Minority Affairs’ budget allocation of ₹3,400 crore for 2026–27, a slight increase from the previous year’s ₹3,350 crore. However, over the past five years, the budget has stagnated while actual utilization has plummeted.
The data exposes a sharp decline in expenditure, with only a fraction of the allocated funds being utilized in recent years.
- In 2023–24, out of ₹3,098 crore allocated, a mere ₹154 crore was spent.
- In 2024–25, despite an allocation of ₹3,183 crore, only ₹715 crore was utilized, representing a mere 22 percent of the total budget.
The report attributes this decline to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs’ failure to approve major scholarship schemes since 2021–22, leading to significant unspent funds. Several vital programs, including the Maulana Azad National Fellowship and assistance schemes for madrasas, have also been discontinued.
Khan emphasizes that the stagnant unit cost of minority scholarships since 2007–08 has made them insufficient to cover rising educational expenses. He warns that the reduced allocations and under-utilization of funds for scholarships could have dire consequences for minority education.
The report challenges the government’s vision of a “Developed India” by 2047, urging the reinstatement of discontinued schemes, immediate approval of scholarship programs, and increased budget allocations to address the deprivation faced by minority communities.
