The Telangana Budget 2024-25, announced by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday, July 25, saw an increased budget allocation for the state departments of women and child welfare, minority welfare and backward classes (BC) welfare. The Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) special development funds also witnessed significant budgetary allocation amounting to Rs 33,124 crore and Rs 17,056 crore.
Discussing the allocation of Rs 2,736 crore to the Department of Women and Child Welfare, Deputy CM Bhatti said that the Congress-led government was planning on forming Amma Adarsha patashala committees to ensure that Anganwadi schools were well maintained. While the budgetary allocation has increased from 2023-24’s budget estimates of Rs 2,131 crore, the government’s decision to convert Anganwadi centres into pre-schools, which was also a key point in the Deputy CM’s speech, has been met with criticism. On Sunday, July 21, teachers unions in Telangana like the United Teachers Federation remarked that the conversion would result in closure of primary schools in the state.
“For the SC and ST communities, we have already established several corporations: like the Komaram Bheem Corporation for Adivasis, Santh Seva Lal Corporation for Lambadas, Erukula corporation for Erukulas and two separate corporations for Malas and Madigas,” the Deputy CM said, further noting in his speech that all gurukulas meant for SC, ST, BC and minorities would be brought to a single campus spanning 20 acres.
The Deputy CM also reiterated the Congress government’s stance that a caste census would be conducted to enumerate the population of several castes in Telangana.
The Department of BC Welfare also witnessed an increase of Rs 9,200, a significant increase from the previous budgetary allocation of Rs 6,229 crore. Similarly, the minority welfare department also witnessed an increase of Rs 803 from the previous year’s allocation of Rs 2,200 crore to 2024-25’s allocation of Rs 3,003 crore.