Eye on security, MHA share up by 11%

Mukesh Ranjan

New Delhi, February 1

With internal security remaining a priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been allocated a little over Rs 1.85 lakh crore in the Union budget for 2022-23, which is nearly 11 per cent higher than the allocation of Rs 1.66 lakh crore in the last Budget for the current financial year.

Incidentally, however, the capital expenditure for 2022-23, the MHA budget has proposed increase of only 5 per cent from Rs 15,924 crore in 20-21-22 to Rs 16,753 crore in 2022-23. The lion’s share of the Budget allocation for the MHA has gone to the police, as it is proposed in excess of Rs 1.17 lakh crore for the coming financial year. Of this, Rs 10,500 crore has been allocated for capital expenditure, marginally higher than the last year. In 2021-22, the allocation for the police stood at Rs 1.03 lakh crore with Rs 9,715 crore being capital expenditure.

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) like the CRPF, BSF and ITBP have been allocated substantial funds for improving the infrastructure along the international borders.

The 2022-23 Budget allocation to the MHA, helmed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is Rs 1,85,776.55 crore, nearly Rs 20,000 crore or about 11.5 per cent more than the current fiscal, which is Rs 1,66,546.94 crore.