Several posts vacant at Minorities’ Welfare Dept.: RTI

Hyderabad

More than 35% posts in the Minorities’ Welfare Department (MWD) remain vacant, a response obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has indicated.

Kareem Ansari from youRTI.in, a portal that facilitates users seeking information through the RTI Act, sought details on the sanctioned strength and the number of regular, contractual and outsourced employees.

According to the reply, there are 128 regular employees, 27 working on a contractual basis, and as many as 51 outsourced employees.

The data also show that at the Office of the Commissioner, Minorities’ Welfare, there are 62 sanctioned posts, of which 26 are vacant.

In districts, there are 136 sanctioned posts, of which 44 are vacant; six District Minority Welfare Officer (DMWO) posts, out of which two are vacant. The DMWO is responsible for implementing government schemes in the districts they are posted in, and for coordinating with the Minorities Welfare Department and its agencies.

“The RTI shows that there are 70 vacancies across posts impacting the work, and filling up vacancies and increasing expenditure will help,” Mr. Ansari, who filed the RTI application, said.

Recently, the Telangana government allocated ₹3,796 crore to the department. While this marks an increase, compared to the allocation of ₹3,585 crore in FY 2025-26, the government has faced criticism over inadequate spending.

Out of the total allocation, salaries, and other recurring administrative costs received ₹875 crore. The remaining, scheme allocation, saw an allocation of ₹2,893 crore.

The Students’ Islamic Organisation (SIO), which filed a petition in the Telangana High Court over pending fee reimbursement to students, said that meaningful progress lies not just in higher allocation but in efficient delivery. “Under-utilisation of funds have limited the impact on students,” SIO president Mohammed Faraz said.