Hyderabad: The minority community hailed the allocation of Rs 840 crore under the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam for minority youth as one of the highest budgetary allocations made towards self-employment schemes for the community. In all, the govt allocated Rs 3,591 crore for minority welfare in the 2025-26 financial year, as against Rs 3,003 crore in the 2024-25 fiscal.
According to experts, the move would empower unemployed youth from minority community and help them achieve financial independence. Under the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam Scheme, financial assistance up to Rs 4 lakh would be provided to every eligible unemployed individual from SC, ST, BC, and minority communities, and Rs 840 crore was earmarked for minority youth alone under this self-employment scheme.
Minority community leaders said the scheme is implemented in toto in the ensuing fiscal itself, will offer not just self-employment opportunities but also foster a new generation of entrepreneurs. Govt advisor Mohd Ali Shabbir said it is a major boost for self-employment promotion.
It is one of the most progressive budgets for Telangana’s minorities, Shabbir Ali said, and welcomed the Rs 3,591 crore allocation for Minority Welfare, emphasising that education, employment, and entrepreneurship are at the heart of the govt’s vision for minority communities.
Shabbir Ali also welcomed the increased govt support for the Haj pilgrimage, noting that Telangana sent a record 11,446 devotees in 2024, the highest in history. “The Rs 840 crore allocation under the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam Scheme will provide self-employment opportunities to minority youth, ensuring economic independence and entrepreneurship support. The integration of Young India Minority Residential Schools into the state’s flagship educational initiatives will ensure equal learning opportunities for minority students. High-quality education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty among minorities, and the govt is ensuring that Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jain, and other minority students receive quality education on par with corporate and other private educational institutions,” Shabbir Ali said.
However, BRS leader Shaik Abdullah Sohail launched a scathing attack on the Congress govt for failing to honour its Rs 4,000 crore allocation promise in the 2025-26 budget. “Though an allocation of Rs 3,591 crore for minority welfare in 2025-26 is an increase from the Rs 3,003 crore allocated in 2024-25, it was still below the Rs 4,000 crore that the Congress promised in its Minority Declaration of the 2023 election manifesto. Actually, the Congress promised Rs 1,000 crore annually for subsidised loans to help minority youth and women set up businesses. Where is this Rs 1,000 crore?” he asked.
