Hyderabad: The Telangana State Minority Finance Corporation is struggling due to a lack of funds. Although Rs 432 crore was allocated in the budget, none of it has been released. This delay is affecting the implementation of various schemes that have been waiting for months.
According to sources, proposals to support small businesses have been submitted to the government. These plans include a bank-linked subsidy scheme of Rs 50,000 to benefit more people. There is also a proposal to provide unemployed individuals with auto rickshaws and sewing machines for women. Additionally, around 2,000 e-cabs are expected to be distributed.
“This is already the third quarter of the financial year, and the corporation still doesn’t have any funds to support these schemes. We have asked the government to release at least a portion of the allocated budget. This would provide about Rs 1 crore to each constituency and help start the process,” said the sources.
Other departments, such as the TS Urdu Academy and the Haj Committee, are facing similar financial challenges. Even though Urdu is the state’s second official language, important schemes related to the academy have not been implemented due to the funding issues. These departments have a budget of over Rs 300 crore, but no funds have been released.
Out of the total Rs 3,000 crore budget for Minority Welfare, a large portion—Rs 1,000 crore—was allocated to TMREIS (now TGMREIS), the Minority Residential Schools. However, questions are being raised about how this money will be spent in just a few months before the next budget is due.
“Simply increasing the budget to Rs 3,000 crore won’t help if the funds are not released. I doubt the current government, which claims to support minorities, will be able to use even a third of the budget for this year,” said Syed Ifteqar Hussani, an activist. He also questioned whether the government could utilize the funds in the remaining three to four months.
On the other hand, Shabbir Ali, Government Advisor for SC, ST, OBC, and Minorities, responded to concerns about the Haj Committee’s budget. He assured that there is no shortage of funds and that no Haji will face problems this season. “There is no lack of funds from the budget,” he said.
