By TCN Reporter; 24 September 2010;
New Delhi: The pace of spending the funds for minority welfare has gone down drastically in the last two years in Bihar. Interestingly, the slow pace has come with high increase in central government funds for minorities in the state. The state government data bare it all.
In 2005-06, the state government spent Rs 1254 lakh (70.13%) against its own sanctioned Rs 1788 lakh. The percentage of spending went up to 88.3% in next financial year as it spent Rs 1965 lakh against Rs 2225 lakh. In those two years there was no central fund for the purpose. In 2007-08, the spending reached to highest 94.53% when there was Rs 2239 lakh from the state and a small amount of Rs 343 lakh from the centre. However, when the centre increased its minority fund for the state in 2008-09, the state went slow on spending.
That year the state government sanctioned Rs 2539 lakh and the centre gave Rs 3614 lakh, making more than 10 times increase in its last year’s fund. However, the state spent only Rs Rs 4727 lakh, that is 76.82%, a sudden fall from 94.53% last year. The slow pace of spending continued in 2009-10 (75.70%) while the centre gave Rs 18132 lakh to the state, five times more than the last year.
The information has been provided by the minority welfare department of Bihar Government in reply to an RTI petition filed by eminent RTI activist Afroz Alam Sahil
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