Krishnaiah seeks Rs 2 lakh crore for BCs welfare in Union Budget

HYDERABAD: The National Backward Classes Welfare Association (NBCWA) has urged the Centre to sanction Rs 2 lakh crore for the welfare of BCs in the upcoming Union Budget 2023-24, which will be presented in Parliament on Wednesday.

Association president and YSRC Rajya Sabha member R. Krishnaiah on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard.

He said the money was required for the welfare of BCs for their social, educational and economic development, hostels, residential schools, pre-matric and post-matric scholarships and fee reimbursement on the lines of those extended to SC and ST community beneficiaries.

Krishnaiah pointed out that the Centre had allocated a mere Rs 2,000 crore for BC welfare in the previous Budget, while the BCs constitute 56 per cent of the population. He said BC families were losing their hereditary professions and traditional crafts due to global competition.

"The Centre has provided 27 per cent reservation to BCs in educational institutions in 2006. But there are no financial assistance schemes to help them to meet education costs. Giving mere reservations to BCs without any financial assistance does not serve the purpose," he noted.

He urged Modi to sanction at least five per cent of the total Union budget for the BCs every year. He also sought funds for construction of hostels and residential schools run by state governments.

He said that 80 per cent subsidy loans have to be sanctioned to BC candidates through National BC Corporation and all schemes provided to SCs and STs at the national-level should be extended to OBCs as well.