By Tarique Anwar, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: The dillydallying attitude of the state minority welfare department towards central government’s scholarship schemes meant for minorities, has resulted in demand to transfer the scheme implementation power to another department.
The Aqliyati Chatravirti Morcha (Minority Scholarship Front) has demanded to give responsibility of implementation of all scholarship schemes to other department. In a press statement Morcha said the fund for the means-cum-merit scholarship scheme was sanctioned for 1446 shortlisted students in February 2008 and 151 in March but it has not been paid even after four months.
In the wake of the growing disappointment among Muslim students and their parents regarding the implementation of the scheme, state minister Shahid Ali Khan and principal secretary of the department Afzal Amanullah have been given additional charge of the department.
A sum of Rs 3,72,18,837 has been allocated for these selected students but this is still lying in the bank and the government is delaying in its distribution for the reason only it knows.
Morcha has demanded a clarification from the Chief Executive Officer of Bihar State Sunni Wakf Board that how much interest they have earned on the allocated sum of scholarship lying in the bank.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, Akhlaqur Rahman of Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), Patna, who is also a member of the Morcha, lambasted the state minority welfare department and the state government, saying they are not sincere for uplift of minorities. “The sate government is not honest in distribution of this amount among the selected candidate”, Akhlaque told to TCN.
Asked whom he consider responsible for the lethargic attitude of the minority welfare department, he said that the condition of employees can be assessed by seeing the condition of the building of the department situated in barrack number 6 of main secretariat building.
Talking about Morcha’s stand he clarified that they are determined to ensure payment of the allocated sum to the students. They will not allow the government to use it as per its wish. “Since it is for minorities they will have to distribute it,” Akhlaque told to TCN on phone. He warned a nationwide protest if the amount is not distributed among the students.
It should be clear that the state government was ordered much earlier to initiate the process for renewal of the running scholarships and to give scholarship to 1448 more students. It is feared that in case of failure in submission of utility certificate by the state government to the centre, the fund can lapse as it has happened in post-matric scholarship scheme.
TwoCircles.net tried to contact Tariq Anwar, Chairman of Bihar State Sunni Wakf Board, and its Chief Executive Officer, Kamruddin but they were not available for comments.