By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
Chandigarh: In an apparent move to consolidate Muslim vote, the Congress-rule Haryana government has come up with a Rs 77 crore plan for the development of Mewat district under the Prime Minister’s 15-point programme for the welfare of minorities.
The Mewat Development Agency (MDA) has prepared the plan which was approved at the 24th meeting of the Mewat Development Board on 9th July in Chandigarh. The meeting was chaired by Haryana Governor A R Kidwai. He is chairman of the Board and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is senior vice-chairman.
According to 2001 Census, Mewat has 9,93,617 population. Muslims, called Meos, are completely agriculturalists and dominate the population. In some blocks they constitute more than 70% of population.
After the meeting they told the media that the scheme would be sent to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs for providing the amount which would be utilised for providing facilities to the people of Mewat in the fields of health, education, skill development, food processing, agriculture, horticulture and sports.
The Governor also said the Haryana Women Development Corporation would provide micro-credit facilities to poor women at 4 to 5 per cent with a development subsidy of 3%.
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda laid stress on creating a special Mewat cadre for the purpose of recruitment especially for that district to fill posts in the departments of education and health.
It was also decided to give a fee concession to 15 Meo girls for nursing and midwifery training at Sifa Nursing Centre, Bangalore, at a cost of Rs 11.73 lakh for the course duration of three and a half years.
The government has also decided that Al-Afia Hospital, Mandikhera, should be upgraded as a central hospital with education and training facilities in the paramedical and nursing fields. A decision was taken to open diagnostic centres on a priority basis at Mandikhera and Nuh areas.