Federation of Muslim Women’s Aid Societies formed in TN

By Shafee Ahmed Ko, TwoCircles.net,

Chennai: The newly formed Federation of Muslim Women’s Aid Societies (FeMWAS) held its maiden function at Hotel Abu Palace in Chennai last week. The federation decided to launch public awareness campaign for Muslim Women’s Aid Society (MWAS), a government aided NGO in each district of Tamil Nadu.

MWAS needed a federal body to create an awareness which MWAS badly lacks. How to avail the much needed fund as “seed funds” allocated by the Tamil Nadu Government for the Muslim community women in all the 32 districts of the state? The fund remains unutilized due to gross ignorance of the needy Muslim community. Hence FeMWAS will do all the spade work and propagate the mission of MWAS.

In the light of the Sachar Committee report and Prime Minister’s 15 Points Programme for the welfare of the minority communities, Tamil Nadu Government has established corpus body under caption of Muslim Women’s Aid Society (MWAS).

MWAS established in 2008-2009 is to “help the destitute Muslim Women in Tamil Nadu, the Government have sanctioned seed money of Rs.30 lakh at the rate of Rs.1 lakh per society to establish Muslim Women Aid Societies in the remaining 30 Districts, similar to the one in Chennai.”

The state Government releases matching grant to the societies equal to the donation collected by them. During 2007-08, the Government released a sum of Rs.2.19 lakh to Chennai Muslim Women Aid Society as matching grant. So MWAS is a kind of self help body to help Muslim women in general.

The Muslim women of each district can form a society. The Collector of the District has to act as the President of MWAS, the Project Officer of Women Welfare as Vice-President, and the District officer for Backward Class and Minority’s Welfare as Treasurer besides six women members from Muslim community.

Soon after forming an MWAS, the society can avail the seed fund of Rs. one lakh for the infrastructure initially. The fund raised by MWAS members from public shall be deposited into the bank concerned and benefit a matching fund from the Tamil Nadu Government. For example, if an MWAS deposits Rs. two lakh the TN government will release a matching fund of Rs. two lakhs. A maximum fund to deposit is Rs. 10 lakh. The funds so availed must be utilized for Muslim women’s development.

The grim part of the story is that a few districts which formed MWAS have been allotted funds but they could not avail. Few other districts which deposited the funds have not been released the matching funds. Hence a sympathetic watchdog body FeMWAS is keen to help MWAS in every respect as an NGO headed by Syed Ahmed of Madurai as its secretary.

At the maiden Chennai meeting, Mohammad Kamaluddin, President, FeMWAS from Cuddalore District gave lengthy history of “MWAS” and its pains and gains. Prof. Mrs. Thashreef Jahan, from Madurai District lamented the difficulty in fund raising. Mrs. Umaiya Banu from Salem District was bitter that Rs. one lakh and odd deposited is dormant with government since no matching fund was released.

The following key players of “MWAS” with respective districts attended the function:
I. Kamaluddin –Cuddalore, M. Mohammad Ali-Dindigul, Prof. Mrs. Thashreef Jahan-Madurai, Dr. Hussain Ali-Erode, S. Mohammad Baig-Kancheepuram, Mrs. Waheeda-Thuthukudi, Shaheen Sha-Tiruchi, Mrs. Umaiya Banu-Salem, Mrs. Begum-Tiruvallur.

Justice G.M.Akbar Ali, Professor S.Sathik (former vice-chancellor of Madras University) P.Abdul Khadir (Industrialist), Dr.A.Ameer Jahan,( Gen.Sec. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee) S.M.Hidayathullah (Social Activist, Journalist) Ibn Soud (All India Milli Council), Ahmed Riffai,(Charted Accountant), Syed J.Inayathullah,(Senior Advocate, Chennai) were prominent among those who attended the function.