Bengal cuts Minority Affairs budget by 62% in 2026-27
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The West Bengal government has reduced the allocation for the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education (MAME) Department by 62 per cent in its 2026-27 Budget, lowering it from Rs 5,713.61 crore in the interim Budget to Rs 2,175.43 crore.
Presenting the Budget, Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta proposed an allocation of Rs 2,175.43 crore for the department. The reduction comes a month after the government revoked the previous administration's decision to include several Muslim communities in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) list.
Under the previous Trinamool Congress government, the department's annual allocation consistently exceeded Rs 5,000 crore, with budgets of Rs 5,166.99 crore in 2023-24, Rs 5,530.66 crore in 2024-25, Rs 5,602.29 crore in 2025-26, and Rs 5,713.61 crore in the 2026-27 interim Budget.
Several minority welfare schemes have also seen reduced funding. No allocation has been made for the housing scheme for destitute minority women, which had received Rs 10 crore under the previous government.
The allocation for the Aikyashree Scholarship has been cut to Rs 250 crore from Rs 741 crore in 2025-26 and Rs 600 crore in 2024-25. Funding for the Sabooj Sathi bicycle scheme, including for students in madrasas, has been reduced from Rs 100 crore to Rs 15.5 crore. Allocation for minority development and welfare schemes has also been lowered to Rs 21 crore from Rs 103 crore in 2025-26.
Defending the Budget, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the previous government had "fooled minorities" and urged parents to encourage children to pursue professional careers instead of studying in madrasas.
Finance Minister Dasgupta said the previous government had budgeted more than Rs 5,000 crore annually for the department but spent only around Rs 2,500 crore.
The budget cuts drew criticism from opposition leaders. Trinamool Congress leaders Ritabrata Banerjee and Kunal Ghosh opposed the reduction, while Indian Secular Front MLA Naushad Siddiqui accused the government of marginalising minorities.
Congress MP Syed Nasir Hussain alleged that the Budget reflected an anti-minority approach, while Aam Janata Unnayan Party MLA Humayun Kabir said the reduction could hamper social development and damage the government's image.