By IANS,
New Delhi : The government has increased the budgetary allocation to the minority affairs ministry by Rs.740 crore (Rs.7.4 billion) for the year 2009-10 to address the educational and economic backwardness of the Muslim community, Minister Salman Khurshid said Monday.
“The plan provisions for the ministry has been enhanced from Rs.130.89 crore (Rs.1.3 billion) in 2006-07 to Rs.500 crore (Rs.5 billion) in 2007-08, Rs.1,000 crore (Rs.10 billion) in 2008-09 and Rs.1,740 crore (Rs.17.40 billion) for the year 2009-10,” Khurshid told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
While replying to a question related to the implementation of the recommendations of the Sachar Committee, the minority affairs minister said that a “multi-prolonged strategy to address the educational backwardness of the Muslim community, as brought out by the Sachar Committee has been adopted”.
Khurshid also gave details of the scholarships that are being provided to the students of the minority community.
For the economic welfare of the minority community, Khurshid said that multi-sectoral development programmes have been launched in identified minority concentration districts in 2008-09 and “all public sector banks have been directed to open branches in districts having a substantial minority population”.
To address communal issues, Khurshid said guidelines on maintaining communal harmony have been issued by the home ministry.