Minority Affairs has spent Rs. 4,540.61 crore which is 64.86 per cent of the total allocation for the welfare of the these communities.
In a written reply to Lok Sabha, the minister said: “In the 11th Five Year Plan allocation for the Ministry of Minority Affairs as approved by the Planning Commission was Rs. 7,000 Crore and the Ministry up to March 2011 incurred a total expenditure of Rs. 4,540.61 crore representing 64.86 per cent of the total allocation”.
He also claimed that with the allocation of Annual Plan 2011-12 of Rs. 2,850 crore, the government has already enhanced the 11th Five Year Plan allocation.
He also informed the House that there were no bottlenecks that impede full utilization of funds budgeted for the Ministry.
When this correspondent asked the minister about the claims of no bottlenecks in implementing the minority schemes pointing Gujarat, West Bengal and UP’s poor record, he said he made only factual statement as it was a written reply.
It is on record since the commencement of the minority scholarship scheme, not a single scholarship was distributed by the Modi government of Gujarat while the West Bengal under the then Left Front rule lagged behind in implementing the a host of minority- related central schemes. There are also reports from UP that minority scheme funds are being diverted to other purposes.