Budget 2025: Marginal expansion for social justice and disability welfare

Nirmala Sitharaman

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has received Rs 13,611 crore in the Union Budget announced on Saturday, while the allocation for disability welfare now stands at Rs 1,275 crore. This is a 35.75 per cent rise in allocation over the revised estimate for the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2024-25, which stood at Rs 10,026.4 crore. The allocation for the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in the Union Budget 2025-26 was 9.22 per cent more than the revised estimate of the ongoing fiscal which is Rs 1167.27 crore.

In this year's Budget, the government has allocated Rs 472 crore under the Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme (SHREYAS). A separate allocation of Rs 250.13 crore has been made for the SHREYAS scheme for OBCs and Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), which includes Rs 190.13 crore for the National Fellowship for OBCs and Rs 60 crore for Interest Subsidy on Overseas Studies. Rs 2,190 crore has been allocated for the PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India for OBCs, EBCs, and Denotified Tribes.

The Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi Yojana, which focuses on skill development, has retained its allocation of R130 crore. However, the Venture Capital Fund for SCs and OBCs, aimed at supporting marginalised entrepreneurs, has seen a drastic cut, dropping from R30 crore in the previous year to a mere Rs 0.02 crore.

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