‘Minority funds from Centre on the wane’

Kolkata: Central funds for the Multi Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP), meant for all-round development of places with higher minority population, has gradually been decreasing for Bengal, particularly after the Narendra Modi government took over in 2014. 

The Centre was scheduled to allocate Rs 975 crore in the fiscal 2015-16, but gave a meagre Rs 219 crore, as per figures available with the minority affairs department in the state. For the financial year 2016-17, the budget for Bengal was Rs 2,580 crore, of which Rs 1,055 crore was for MSDP. But all the state received was Rs 242 crore.

The budget for minority department in the running fiscal 2017-18 has been pegged at Rs 2,815 crore, in which the Centre is supposed to allocate Rs 844 crore under MSDP. However, till last week, the state has only received Rs 35.39 crore.

“From the experience of the previous two years, we believe that this year also there will be a significant decline in the flow of funds for minority development. This is a glaring example of the disparity of fund allocation on the part of Centre,” a top official in the department said. 

The official added that the Centre was providing 60 per cent of the non-recurring cost for running the programme. The rest 40 per cent was being borne by the government. “The recurring cost is being entirely borne by us, so that the project is not stalled,” he said. As per the National Commission for Minority Act (section 2c), not only the Muslims but Christians, Sikhs, Buddhist and the Parsi communities fall under the minority list. 

MSDP was conceived as a special initiative of the follow-up action on the Sachar Committee recommendations. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) approved by the government in the beginning of the 11th five-year plan and launched in the year 2008-09 in 90 minority concentration districts (MCDs). It is an area development initiative to address the development deficits of such areas by creating socio-economic infrastructure and providing basic amenities. 

The programme aims at improving the socio-economic conditions of minorities and providing basic amenities to them for improving the quality of life of the people and reducing imbalances in the identified minority concentration areas during the 12th five year plan period. The projects to be taken up under MsDP would be related to the provision of better infrastructure for education, skill development, health, sanitation, pucca housing, roads, drinking water, besides schemes for creating income generating opportunities.