The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment cited concerns about budget cuts, underutilization of funds, and implementation gaps in ministries responsible for social welfare schemes for minorities, tribals, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups.
The 31-member committee, headed by BJP MP P C Mohan, in its report on the applications for grants to the Ministry of Minority Affairs for 2026-27, said the ministry had proposed allocating a budget of Rs. $4,758.37 crore for various schemes but only Rs $3,400 crore from the Finance Ministry – about 28.5% less than the proposed amount.
The committee also highlighted reductions in endowment-related schemes. The Ministry had proposed $50.01 crore for National Endowment Boards, Taraqquiti Scheme and Sahari Sampati Vikas Yojana but only allocated $32 Crores – a reduction of about 36%. Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, the schemes had an estimated budget of $46 Crore, which was later revised to $24.6 crores, while the actual expenditure amounted to only $12.28 Crores.
Explaining the shortfall, the ministry told the committee that “the reduction in the renewable energy phase was not due to the withdrawal of policy support but was primarily attributable to the structural, legislative and transitional reforms undertaken during this period.”
The committee also informed that the schemes are being implemented through the Central Waqf Board, which has remained non-constituted since February 3, 2023, leading to delay in approvals and institutional decision-making.
The report also highlighted the steps taken by the Ministry to improve benefit from endowment-related schemes. These measures include setting up project management units in state endowments boards, organizing capacity building workshops and review meetings, and introducing digital reforms such as the central portal for endowment management, empowerment, efficiency and development (UMEED), AI-enabled modules, and real-time monitoring dashboards. Additional initiatives include landmark-based fund releases, strict compliance with use certificates, and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of properties with the help of the Survey of India.
The committee also noted a continuing pattern of non-utilization of funds by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. In 2023-24 only $Of the revised estimate of Rs 1,032.65 crore, Rs 1,032.65 crore has been spent. $2,608.93 crores. In 2024-25 the Ministry spent $1,396.01 crore against the revised estimate of Rs $1,868.18 crores. This trend continued in 2025–26, when $Rs 1,461.98 crore has been spent against the revised estimate of $2,160.45 crores.
The committee also said that schemes for pre-study and post-study scholarships for minority students have not been approved after 2021-22, and scholarships have not been disbursed from 2022-23 onwards due to “serious irregularities” reported by states and union territories (UTs). The committee said the scheme was blocked due to a refund $It is alleged that Rs 144 crore has been misappropriated by the institutions which constitutes injustice to the students. She urged the ministry to explore implementation of the schemes in states where violations are minimal so that minority students are not deprived of educational support.
Ministry of Tribes
The committee also expressed its dissatisfaction with this only $8,757.04 crore from the revised estimate of $Rs 10,824.18 crore had been utilized for 2025-26 by February 23, 2026 – almost 19% less than the allocation of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
The committee said the ministry must take “concrete steps to use the unspent portion of renewable energy for the period 2025-2026 during the remainder of the fiscal year.”
At the same time, the committee noted that the ministry had been allocated $15,421.97 crore for 2026-27 against the proposed demand of Rs $Rs 17,223.47 crore. While the allocations are higher than the budgets of the last two years, the committee said the onus is now on the ministry to ensure that funds allocated at the budget estimation stage are not later reduced in the revised estimation stage.
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
In the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the committee noted that there were frequent gaps between allocations and actual expenditures in the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in the Ministry. In the period 2023-2024, actual spending reached $1,143.89 crore against the revised estimate of Rs $1,225.01 crore, while in 2024-25 $1,112.61 Crores Vs $1,167.27 crores. In 2025-26, expenditures are as of February 26 $1,008.49 crore against the revised estimate of Rs $1,291.60 crore, which is only about 78% of usage.
Under the Assistance for Persons with Disabilities to Purchase/Installe Assistive and Appliance Program (ADIP), the Committee noted fluctuations in beneficiary coverage. While 3.46 lakh beneficiaries were covered against a target of 2.15 lakh in 2023-2024, the number decreased to 2.51 lakh against a target of 3.15 lakh in 2024-2025. In the period 2025-2026, 1.91 lakh beneficiaries have been covered so far against a target of 2.05 lakh beneficiaries.
The committee also found that the number of Scheduled Caste students getting post-graduation scholarships fell to 36.07 lakh in 2025-26 against a target of 76.55 lakh – a 47.1% achievement.
The committee noted that “frequent gaps between allocations and actual expenditures in various ministries indicate deficiencies in planning and implementation.” It recommended that the ministries “strengthen monitoring mechanisms, set quarterly expenditure targets and improve coordination with states/union territories” to ensure that social welfare schemes meant for deprived sections are effectively implemented and funds are utilised in a timely manner.
