New Delhi: AIMIM chief and Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the Union Budget during a Lok Sabha debate on February 12. He said the budget ignores issues related to minority education and welfare.
Owaisi cited government data to highlight declining Muslim enrolment across school levels. According to UDISE data for 2021 to 2022, Muslim enrolment stands at 15 percent in primary education, 14 percent in upper primary, 12 percent in secondary, and 10 percent in higher secondary. He said the figures show a drop of five percentage points from primary to higher secondary levels.
He also referred to the All India Survey on Higher Education. The data shows Muslims accounted for 4.87 percent of students in higher education in 2016 to 2017. The share rose to 5.45 percent in 2019 to 2020. It later declined to 4.64 percent in 2020 to 2021. Owaisi said the fall represented a loss of 1,79,000 students.
Owaisi linked the trend to delayed scholarship approvals and government policy. He said three scholarship schemes have awaited clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for five years. He urged authorities to restore the Maulana Azad National Fellowship programme.
He also pointed to dropout rates among Muslim students in several states. He said the rate stands at 23 percent in West Bengal and 30 percent in Assam.
During the debate, Owaisi also criticised a United States decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on Indian imports linked to Russian oil purchases. He said India must protect its sovereignty in trade decisions.
