Telangana minorities welfare funds underutilized despite rising budget: RTI reveals
HYDERABAD: Documents from the Office of the Commissioner, Minorities Welfare, Telangana, obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, detail budget allocations, fund releases, and expenditures for the Minorities Welfare Department for 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26.
The information was sought by Hyderabad-based RTI activist Kareem Ansari, whose application was responded to by the Public Information Officer of the Commissioner, Minorities Welfare (CMW).
The Minorities Welfare Department’s total budget has steadily risen, from Rs 2,195.71 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 3,585.03 crore in 2025-26. However, actual expenditure has consistently fallen short of both allocations and releases, prompting doubts about implementation capacity.
In 2023-24, against a grant total allocation of Rs 2,195.71 crore and releases of Rs 2,092.40 crore, expenditure stood at Rs 1,755.29 crore, a utilization rate of roughly 80% of releases. Further, in 2024-25, the department received releases of Rs 2,750.47 crore against an allocation of Rs 2,997.02 crore, but spent only Rs 1,602.88 crore, a utilization rate of approximately 58%. For 2025-26, with data captured as of March 25, 2026 (i.e., still mid-year at the time of the RTI response), expenditure stood at Rs 1,703.30 crore against releases of Rs 3,015.33 crore, suggesting just 47% utilization with days left in the fiscal year.
The RTI documents break down expenditure across dozens of individual welfare schemes. Some notable findings, for instance, include Shaadi Mubarak (financial assistance for marriage), which is among the highest-spending schemes. Allocations rose from Rs 450 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 650 crore in both 2024-25 and 2025-26. Expenditure in 2024-25 was Rs 403.90 crore, while spending in 2025-26 stood at Rs 284.79 crore as of late March.
RTF (Residential Tuition Fee) scholarships, designed to make education more accessible for minority students, saw allocations jump from Rs 236 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 300 crore in 2024-25 and 2025-26, though expenditure lagged at Rs 87.88 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 68.88 crore in 2025-26 so far.
A further scheme, Overseas Scholarships, was allocated Rs 130 crore in both 2024-25 and 2025-26. This scheme serves an important role in supporting students pursuing education abroad. Notably, expenditure in 2025-26 reached Rs 172.27 crore, exceeding the allocation, suggesting carry-forward disbursements.
TMREIS (Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society) remains the single largest expenditure head, highlighting its central role in providing residential education for minority students. Over the past three years, its salary and establishment costs alone have constituted expenditures of hundreds of crores. For 2025-26, the salary allocation under heads 310-311 is Rs 420 crore, with actual expenditure amounting to Rs 442.70 crore.
Rajiv Yuva Vikasam, launched in 2025-26 with an allocation of Rs 840 crore and releases of Rs 420 crore, had zero expenditure as of March 25, 2026. This potential delay in implementation affects the department’s single-largest new scheme.
The Wakf Board received Rs 120 crore in 2024-25 and again in 2025-26. Of this, Rs 116.67 crore was spent in 2024-25 and Rs 99.93 crore in 2025-26, marking it as one of the better-utilized heads.
Bank Linked Subsidy, allocated Rs 300 crore in 2024-25, is intended to encourage financial inclusion and entrepreneurship among minorities by supporting subsidized bank loans. However, only Rs 0.10 crore was spent, a near-complete non-utilization that activists say needs explanation.
The R1 (Establishment) budget covering salaries, rents, electricity, and administrative costs has also grown year on year. From Rs 595.98 crore in 2023-24, it rose to Rs 740.07 crore in 2024-25, and Rs 741.01 crore in 2025-26. Expenditure on establishment, however, has continually exceeded releases, with Rs 671.62 crore spent against Rs 607.44 crore released in 2023-24, and Rs 778.96 crore spent against Rs 741.01 crore released in 2025-26, indicating pressure on administrative budgets.
The RTI activist Kareem Ansari filed an application seeking transparency into how funds earmarked for minority communities in Telangana are allocated and spent.
