Fri Feb 21 17:51:59 UTC 2025: ## Parliament Panel Slams Home Ministry for Inefficient Use of Funds

**New Delhi, February 21, 2025** – The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has sharply criticized the Union Home Ministry for its inefficient management of funds, highlighting significant underutilization of crucial allocations. The criticism came during a meeting on Friday, where the committee, headed by BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, reviewed the Ministry’s budget allocation.

The committee expressed particular concern over the underutilization of the Nirbhaya Fund, earmarked for women’s safety projects. Sources indicate that nearly two-thirds of the fund remains unspent. Similarly, only ₹75 crore out of a budgeted ₹300 crore was utilized for prison modernization in 2024-25.

Members also questioned the substantial 80% increase in the budget for ‘Border Infrastructure and Management,’ rising to ₹5,597.25 crore from ₹3,756.51 crore the previous year. The lack of a clear explanation for this increase drew criticism, particularly from Trinamool Congress MPs representing border states.

The absence of significant allocation for the long-overdue decennial Census also sparked concern. Opposition members pointed out that the delay impacts delimitation and the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill.

Further concerns were raised regarding high crime rates against women and children in Delhi, and the Delhi Police’s case backlog. A BJP MP also called for a review of the continued presence of barricades at the Singhu border. The Home Secretary presented budgetary demands for various entities, including the Delhi Police and Union Territories, throughout the week.

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