By Shafee Ahmed Ko, TwoCircles.net,
Erode (Tamilnadu): The Erode district’s Muslim Women’s Aid Society (MWAS) organized its sixth workshop for the workers and beneficiaries. Erode MWAS’s Honorary Secretary Dr. K.K.A. Hussain Ali called upon Muslim organizations to help the group for empowerment of Muslim women.
Retired Health Joint Director and renowned physician and philanthropist, Dr Ali said: “If each of the 82 Muslim Jamaaths existing in the Erode district gives Rs.1000 per year to the MWAS, the group can implement many helpful schemes for the poor Muslim Women.” The poor Muslim Women in Tamil Nadu will not have to beg if a fraction of the total amount of Zakath Funds, estimated to be Rs.50,000 crores from whole of India with the Tamilnadu share of Rs 1.5 crore, is properly utilized, he added.
Tamil Nadu State Government launched the scheme of MWAS in 2007, offering Rs. one lakh as “seed” money to initiate a society registered as NGO, taking highly positioned three Government officials as office bearers along with 6 local dignitaries preferably women from the Muslim community. The scheme is for all 32 districts but all are yet to avail the benefit. Dr. Ali appealed to the community to launch MWAS in all the 32 districts of Tamil Nadu State. “Generate Rs.10 lakh and deposit it into the respective district MWAS’s account and avail a matching fund of Rs.10 lakh from the state government and in total you will have Rs. 20 lakh per year” said Dr. Ali.
Recently a watchdog FeMWAS (Federation of Muslim Women Aid Society) was formed. Most districts have poor awareness about MWAS, said President, FeMWAS. Syed Ahmed, a lawyer by profession and General Secretary of FeMWAS said if all districts MWAS confederate with FeMWAS, there shall be a single Secretariat for whole of 32 districts. FeMWAS has its head quarters in Madurai.
While Tamil Nadu Government has allocated Rs.3.2 crore entire units of MWAS could be able to generate only Rs.44 lakhs, in 32 districts for the Financial year 2009-10, but more sadly almost Rs.2.86 crore has been called back by the government.
Mrs. Umai Banu, the Honorary Secretary of Salem District MWAS was all praise for TCN for carrying a story on her group, which invited lots of responses from far and wide. “TwoCircles.net write up on us was widely read around the world and I had numerous calls from the U.S.A, Canada, UK, Gulf Countries,” said Mrs. Umai.