MHA gets Rs 1.67 lakh crore; emphasis on police, census

The Union Home Ministry was allocated Rs 1,67,250 crore for the next financial year with special emphasis on police forces and tasks related to Census 2021.

This allocation of the Home Ministry’s budget includes new funds for eight Union Territories (UTs) such as Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, which were given Rs 30,757 crore and Rs 5,958 crore respectively as per the Union Budget. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday in the Lok Sabha.

As work has begun for Census 2021, the government has allocated Rs 4,568 crore under the head of Census Survey and Statistics.

The home listing phase of the Census and National Population Register will be done from April 1 to September 30, 2020. The census will have its reference date of March 1, 2021, but for snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be October 1, 2020.

The Union Cabinet has already approved Rs 3,941.35 crore for the NPR exercise. The budget allocated Rs 1,126.62 crore for natural disaster relief and Rs 842.45 crore for social security and welfare schemes. The lion’s share of the Home Ministry’s budget has gone to paramilitary forces, with an allocation of Rs 92,054.53 crore for 2020-21.

The allocation to paramilitary forces will be distributed in proportion to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which is engaged in counter-insurgency operations for Jammu and Kashmir, the North-East and often internal security duties, and the Border Security Force. , Which protects the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders.

Other forces receiving funds from the Ministry of Home Affairs include the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal, Assam Rifles and National Security Guard.

3,688.10 crore has been provided as a grant to the State Governments, Rs. 1,001.30 crore has been placed as a grant to the Central Government Administrations and Rs. 195 crore for the work related to the North-Eastern regions.

An amount of Rs 1140.38 crore has also been kept for the expenditure of the Council of Ministers.

The budget also earmarked Rs 25,000 crore for the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF), which provides assistance to states in the event of natural disasters.

The NDRF fund provides funds to states for disasters like floods, droughts, cyclones, unseasonal rains, hail, and earthquakes.

Interestingly, in 2019-20, only Rs 10,000 crore was allocated for the NDRF.

In addition, Rs 30,757 crore has been kept for the newly created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Rs 5,958 crore for Ladakh, Rs 5,164.26 crore for Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Rs 4,635.10 crore for Chandigarh.

The recently merged UT Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu have been given Rs 2,180.52 crore and Lakshadweep Rs 1,349.71 crore. In Budget 20-21, Delhi has been given Rs 1,116 crore and Puducherry Rs 1,703.02 crore.