Team Clarion
BENGALURU– In anticipation of the forthcoming Karnataka Budget to be unveiled on February 16, a delegation of Muslim elected representatives, led by Zameer Ahmed Khan, in Karnataka met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday. The delegation, representing the State Minister for Housing, Minority Welfare, and Awqaf, appealed for a significant boost in the budget allocation for the minority community.
During the meeting, Zameer Ahmed Khan highlighted the historical practice of minority leaders engaging with the Chief Minister before the budget presentation, emphasizing the importance of adequate financial support. He pointed out that the budget allocated during the Chief Minister’s term in 2023-24 for just six months was Rs 2066.11 crore, whereas the budget for the same period in the preceding year was Rs 1444.15 crore.
Building on this context, the Muslim leaders urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to allocate a substantial amount of Rs 5,000 crore to the minority department in the upcoming budget. They underscored the necessity of these funds to address the diverse needs and challenges faced by the minority community effectively.
Referring to previous budgetary allocations, the delegation recounted the assurances made during the tenure of former Chief Minister Kumaraswamy in 2019-20. Minister for Local Administration and Hajj Rahim Khan had then assured proper implementation of the minority budget. However, the delegation expressed concerns about subsequent reductions in the budget during the tenure of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Members of the delegation, including Rajya Sabha member Syed Naseer Hussain and others, highlighted instances where budget allocations for minority welfare had decreased over the years. They pointed out that during the Chief Minister’s term in 2018-19, the budget was reduced to Rs. 1314.28 crore, and in 2021-22, it further dwindled to Rs. 227,281 crore.
The delegation emphasized the importance of restoring the budgetary allocations for minority welfare to earlier levels and urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to allocate a substantial amount in the upcoming budget to meet the community’s growing needs.
The Chief Minister assured the delegation that their concerns would be taken into serious consideration during the budget formulation process, promising to address the issues faced by the minority community adequately. The delegation included political figures such as Naseer Ahmed, Salim Ahmed, Tanveer Seth, NA Haris, Iqbal, Abdul Jabbar, and others.
This representation to increase the budget for minorities aligns with the commitment to uphold the principles of fairness and equity in governance, ensuring the well-being and development of all communities in the state.