Budget allocations for Social Welfare Residential Institutions in Telangana — ST Welfare sees less year on year

The funds allocated for Scheduled Tribes witnessed a decline compared to those allocated for Scheduled Castes.

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Budgets for Social Welfare Schools

The budget for Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society for Scheduled Castes was ₹878.15 crore in 2020-2021, ₹958.26 crore in 2021-2022, ₹1,063.79 crore in 2022-2023, and ₹1,195.86 crore in 2023-2024.

The budget for Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society for Scheduled Tribes was ₹529.61 crore in 2020-2021, ₹461.33 crore in 2021-2022, ₹492.74 crore in 2022-2023, and ₹522.80 crore in 2023 to 2024.

There is no section for the Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society for Backward Classes, however, it falls under the umbrella of Backward Classes’ welfare. The budget allocated was ₹4.35 crore in 2020-2021, ₹16.82 crore in 2021-2022, ₹16.81 crore in 2022-2023, and ₹19.84 crore in 2023-2024.

The budget for the Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society was ₹212.98 crore in 2020-2021, ₹222.92 crore in 2021-2022, ₹222.92 crore in 2022-2023, and ₹222.92 crore in 2023-2024.

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Construction of social welfare hostels

South First‘s investigation uncovered a pertinent question posed in the Rajya Sabha on 22 March, 2018.

Former BRS MP Dharmapuri Srinivas, who later joined the Congress in 2023, questioned why funds to construct 13 social welfare hostels were not released even though the BRS-led Telangana government had put in a request with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

However, the response from Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Vijay Sampla, conveyed an absence of such requests. “No sir, this Ministry has not received any request for the construction of 13 social welfare hostels in Telangana from the state government,” he replied at the time.

He added that a proposal for the construction of 29 Scheduled Caste (SC) girls’ hostels by the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS), Hyderabad, was received in 2016-2017 under the Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana (BJRCY) scheme. However, the proposal was deemed unfit for consideration by the Union government under the provisions of the scheme.

A similar fate befell proposals for constructing 31 hostels for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), meant to accommodate 3,100 students. These proposals were received in 2016-2017 under the “Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Construction of Hostels for OBC Boys and Girls”, Sampla said in his reply.

He added that the proposals received from the state government were incomplete, as informed to them, and had thus not been sanctioned.

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Transparency is key

Addressing South First‘s concerns about the decreasing budget for Tribal Welfare, V Sarveshwar Reddy, Additional Director of Tribal Welfare, said, “The budget allocation has been reduced year on year, but every year, the budget that is allocated for the residential institutions is fully utilised.”

Reddy, who was first appointed by the BRS, added, “Six to seven months’ bills raised by Social Residential Institutions Society will be pending and they also utilise additional budget for emergency services. It takes time to get credited, however, the amount will be cleared by March every year. Salaries for wardens will also be paid.”

Speaking for transparency, Shankar P, Dalit Bahujan Front, told South First, “The previous government allocated funds and it is not new to announce a budget, but the utilisation should be put out with transparency so that we can ascertain the problems in the conditions of these institutes. The children who get enrolled in these institutes are from no education background families and if one goes home discouraged, another child will not return.”

While presenting the 2024-2025 interim budget, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu announced, “We have also decided to construct buildings with the best amenities for all the residential schools presently housed in rental buildings. We plan to install solar panels in these schools and the power charges saved would be utilised to benefit the students further. For the construction of new buildings for SC schools, ₹1,000 crore, and ST schools ₹250 crore is proposed in this budget. For the construction of buildings for BC residential schools, we are proposing ₹1,546 crore.”