The Indian government has significantly increased the budget for the Ministry of Minority Affairs, setting aside ₹3,350 crore for the 2025-26 financial year. This announcement, made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, represents a notable rise in funding. Specifically, the new budget is ₹166 crore more than the previous year’s initial budget, and a considerable ₹1,481 crore more than the revised spending estimate for 2024-25. This increase shows the government’s dedication to supporting the well-being of minority communities through various programs.
A substantial portion of the new budget, ₹678.03 crore, is designated for programs that promote education within minority communities. This focus on educational empowerment comes after concerns were raised about the ministry’s spending in the previous financial year. While the ministry was allocated ₹3,183.24 crore in the 2024-25 budget, only ₹1,868.18 crore was actually spent. As a result, the government intends to concentrate on better methods for distributing and using these funds this year to ensure they reach their intended recipients.
The increase in funding demonstrates a strong commitment to improving the lives of minority groups and expanding their access to education. Now that the budget has been announced, the focus shifts to how the ministry will manage and use this increased allocation. The success of these new financial commitments will be closely monitored in the coming months. The Finance Minister emphasized the government’s focus on minority welfare programs during her budget presentation.