By Tarique Anwar, TwoCircles.net,
Nitish Kumar-led NDA alliance managed to bag a considerable share of Muslim vote in the last assembly election in Bihar, which led him to 1, Anne Marg, the official residence of the chief minister. He uprooted 15-year-long RJD government riding on the wave of anti-incumbency and announcing Muslim-pleasing electoral promises. To keep his promise, soon after assuming office he announced a 10-points programme for welfare of minorities. Three years on, it is right time to assess the programme. In an exclusive interview with TwoCircles.net, Naushad Ahmad, Chairman of Bihar State Minority Commission, delves into the subject.
Naushad, who assumed office as chairman of the commission on 13th August 2007, highlights many schemes of Bihar government to bring home the point that the state government is serious on minority issues. He says the Nitish government has accepted all his demands regarding minorities mentioned in the 10-points programme.
Educational development
For improving educational status of minorities the government is giving educational loan to the students from the minority community, on a nominal 3% interest rate. The government is giving 10,000 rupees as encouragement amount to those students who have secured 60% and above in the annual examination conducted by Bihar School Examination Board, under ‘Mukhya Mantri Parotsahan Yojna’.
“To improve the participation of minorities in civil services the government is giving Rs 5000-10,000 for coaching of BPSC and UPSC. For this purpose Rs 15 lakh had been given to Bihar Minority Financial Corporation in financial year 2006-07. The government has allocated Rs 200 lakhs for this scheme in financial year 2007-08,” says Naushad.
Minority students of medical, engineering and management courses at government/semi government institute or any other institute of repute duly recognised by the government is provided with a monthly stipend of Rs 1000 per student for whole year during the course.
The government has also made arrangement for free coaching for those students who want professional education like medical, engineering, management.
Economic empowerment
Elaborating the government’s effort to improve economy of people from the minority community, Naushad Ahmad said the government has deposited Rs 20 crore in bank for loan at the rate of 6% simple interest for minority youths. With the loan they can make themselves self-employed.
The government has also introduced ‘Sharam Shakti Yojna’ for skilled Muslim laborers. Under this scheme the minority artisan will be trained to upgrade their artistic and technical skill for which stipend of Rs 1500 per month will be given by the state government and after the training is over they may be provided with a loan of Rs 25,000 (maximum) by Bihar State Minority Financial Corporation at lower rate of interest to improve their business. Training and upgradation of artistic and technical skill may be done in institutions/organizations chosen/ agreed by the artisan.
The government gave Rs 10,000 to each divorced Muslim woman for self-employment and over all Rs 10 lakh have been given to Bihar Minority Financial Corporation to distribute it among needy in financial year 2006-07. This year Rs 140 lakhs have been allocated in this account. More than one hundred divorced Muslim women got benefit of this scheme last year.
Hostels for minority students
For the construction of hostels for minority students, he said, the state government has sanctioned Rs 1021.00 lakh, out of which Rs 94.00 lakh has been spent. The previous state government had started the project of construction of 34 hostels for minorities in 33 districts in financial year 199-2000. “Increasing this number this government started this project in 5 new districts in financial year 2006-2007,” Naushad says. The work of construction is complete 19 districts. They are Patna, Gaya, Aurangabad, Bhagalpur, Vaishali, Munger, Motihari, Madhubani, Madhepura, Araria, Rohtas, Begusarai, Katihar and Khagaria.
Districts in which construction work is progress are Arah, Jehanabad, Siwan, Gopalganj, Darbhanga, Supaul, Kishanganj, Saran, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur and Banka.
In Nalanda, Baksar, Kaimur, Nawada, Sitamadhi, Betiah, Samastipur and Purnia, land has been selected for construction of the hostels.
Shivhar, Lakhi Sarai, Shekhpura, Jamui and Arwal are the districts included in this project in financial year 2006-07 by the Nitish government. Rs seventy lakh has been sanctioned for each district for construction of the hostels.
The inmates of these hostels will be entitled for a boarding grant of Rs 700 per month for ten months in an academic year. These facilities will be provided to the students whose family income is less than Rs 1 lakh per annum.
Fencing of graveyards
Talking on communal harmony Naushad says it is disturbed mostly for two reasons – religious procession and encroachment of religious lands like graveyards etc. There are a total of 8064 graveyards in the state. Rs 400 crore is required for their fencing. The previous government had sanctioned only Rs 3.5 crore for this purpose. With this amount only 150 graves could be fenced. Nitish Kumar government gave this responsibility to the home department, making fencing of disputed graveyards its first priority. Rs 85 crore have been released in first 31 months of this government and 309 graveyards have been fenced while work of fencing is in progress in 1922 graveyards, says Naushad.
Future plans
Naushad said IIIrd grade employees will be appointed against different posts at Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic, Persian University.
The government is going to construct three memorial halls after three great freedom fighters of Bihar: Maulana Mazharul Haque, Abdul Quayyum Ansari and Ghulam Sarwar.
Asked why the government did not pay amount of post-matric scholarship which is already deposited in minority commission’s bank account, he said it will be done soon.
Link:
http://gov.bih.nic.in/Depts/MinorityWelfare/Main.htm