Samajwadi Party legislator Rais Shaikh has accused the Mahayuti government of gross negligence in handling the affairs of the Maharashtra Minority Department, revealing that more than 67% of sanctioned posts in the department remain unfilled. This shortage of manpower, he said, has severely paralyzed operations and hindered the implementation of welfare schemes for minority communities.
Citing official data obtained from the department, Shaikh has written to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, demanding urgent action to address the manpower crisis. “Out of 609 sanctioned posts across various minority institutions, only 198 have been filled. The remaining 410 vacancies — nearly 67% — have crippled the department’s functionality,” he stated.
The affected institutions include the Minority Department, the Commissionerate, the Minority Training and Research Institute, the Waqf Board, the Maulana Azad Board, the Jain Corporation, the Waqf Tribunal, and others. The data, he said, exposes a systemic failure to prioritize minority welfare, despite the community’s significant population share.
“The Muslim community makes up 11.54% of Maharashtra’s population, yet it continues to lag in education and employment. While schemes exist on paper, the lack of staff has rendered them ineffective,” Shaikh said. “Funds are delayed, execution is slow, and the annual budget allocation is inadequate.”
He also criticised the government for allowing newly established institutions like the Minority Research and Training Institute — inspired by successful models such as BARTI and SARTHI — to flounder due to insufficient staffing. “Even the Minority Commissionerate, created through the efforts of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, is struggling to function due to vacant posts,” he added.
Shaikh emphasized that policy declarations are meaningless without implementation. “Despite sanctioned posts, the Mahayuti government has deliberately ignored the department’s needs. This is nothing short of contempt toward the Muslim community,” he said, urging immediate corrective measures to restore the department’s functioning and ensure justice to minority populations.
