By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: The much-hyped Multi-sectoral Development Plan for the 90 Minority Concentration Districts in the country is not going to benefit minorities especially Muslims the way it should have, said Maulana Muhammad Wali Rahmani, Sajjada Nashin, Khanqah Munger, and Director, Rahmani Foundation Munger.
2nd from left: Maulana Wali Rahmani and on his left Maulana Mohammed Fazlurrahim Mujaddidi
Giving reasons in favor of his assertion, Maulana Rahmani who is also Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board said: The schemes and projects finalized by District Magistrates and later approved by the state governments and the Central Government without taking into account the views of the community leaders and needs of the local community are very much general in nature and thus will not benefit the minorities exclusively. The schemes on which hundreds of crore rupees are being spent are related to sanitation, roads, bridges etc. – the issues already and at regular basis taken up by the state governments. MsDP has been brought by the Central Government to implement the recommendations of the Sachar Committee.
“While the main thrust of the Sachar report was on the education upliftment of the Muslims, no major schemes for that purpose are underway under MsDP. The Sachar report had talked about development of educational infrastructure for the Muslims but there is no such project under MsDP,” said Maulana Rahmani. He was addressing a press conference in New Delhi on the eve of the National Convention on “Government Minority Welfare Schemes: Intentions and Deviations.” The convention to be held at Jamia Hamdard on November 22 is a follow up of the first conference on the same issue held in the National Capital on January 23 this year.
Citing ineffectiveness of the MsDP Maulana Rahmani further said: Sachar Committee had recommended for the 6-layer system of a government scheme implementation to be lowered down to a 2-layer system. But again the funds for MsDP is being sent through the same old system, and consequently only a fraction of the sanctioned fund will eventually reach to the ground.
Suggesting revamp of the MsDP, Maualana Rahmani said there is a need to focus on education. Massive programs for improvement of educational infrastructure for Muslims should be in place, and those programs should be made part of sub-plan at district level. He said there should be boarding schools for +2 education of Muslim children. Besides, each minority concentration district should have an IIT and a polytechnic.
Under MsDP, several thousand Anganwadi centres are being opened in minority concentration districts in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam and several hundred crore rupees are being spent on them. When the Maulana was asked to comment on this, he said this project has been made part of MsDP because DMs have taken it as a general plan and so included such schemes in it. As Anganwadi centre benefits only BPLs and Muslims are ignored while enlisting as BPL, these centres will little benefit Muslims, he said.
Earlier addressing the pressmen, Maulana Mohammed Fazlurrahim Mujaddidi, Rector, Jamea-Tul-Hidaya, Jaipur, and head of several educational institutions, offered thanks to the Prime Minister, Planning Commission and Ministry of Minority Affairs for bringing out mega MsDP schemes for welfare of minorities but warned that until MsDP is not reformed it will little benefit the minorities.
Giving details about tomorrow’s program, Maulana Mujaddidi said Union Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Member of Planning Commission Syeda Syedain Hameed have been invited to the program besides community leaders and NGOs working on minorities issues in the country. “The program will be an interaction between the community and the government and the latter will be told about the lacuna and shortcomings of the minority welfare schemes,” said the Maulana who is founder member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, and also member of the Central Wakf Council.