By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: The disparity in the allocation of funds for Muslims in the next Five Year Plan should go. The priority should be on education with expenditure of funds up to 70 to 75 per cent and then on amenities. This was stressed upon by Maulana Mohammad Fazl-ur-Raheem Mujaddidi, Ameer Jamiat-ul-Hidaya at an informal interaction on the eve of the “National Consultation: Aspirations and Expectations of the Muslim Community from the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017)” to be held at the Planning Commission of India on Friday (January 14).
The informal interaction in fact turned into a serious round table discussion, first of its kind when Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Salman Khursheed, Ms Syeda Hamid and Digvijay Singh interacted with the delegates, led by Maulana Mohammad Fazl-ur-Raheem Mujaddidi, who gathered here at Anhad on Thursday from all over the country.
Round Table: on aspirations and expectations of Muslim community from 12th Five Year Plan in New Delhi
It may be stated here that the basic purpose was to explain the Planning Commission as well as the Central government about the expectations of the Muslim minority from the 12th Five Year Plan starting from April 2012. It was also to inform them about the apprehensions of the community from the coming plan and make them aware of the setbacks of the 11th Five Year Plan so that the lacunae left in the previous Plan should not be repeated and the Plan may be more effective in respect of uplifting the Muslim community.
Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Ms Syeda Hamid, Member, Planning Commission, Mr. Salman Khursheed, Minister of Minority Affairs, Mr. K. Rahman Khan, Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha, Mr. Digvijay Singh, general secretary, Congress & ex-Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, along with 60 delegates from all over the country participated in the High tea.
Digvijay Singh said that all financial grants for minorities should be channelized through Maulana Azad Foundation only to avoid the lacuna of improper funds distributions by certain state governments.
The following points emerged out from the discussion:
• A sense of insecurity grips the Muslim community due to which they are bound to restrict themselves to ghettos;
• Top most priority of the community is Education. At least 70-75 % of the total allocated budget should be for education; Scholarship Scheme norms must be equivalent with those of SC/ST;
• Welfare Budget should be enhanced at least ten times of the Eleventh Plan;
• The Nodal Ministry for the schemes related to minorities should be Minority Ministry only;
• The domain of the New 15 Point Programme should be increased. Urban Welfare Schemes should also be included in it;
• MCT (Minority Concentrated Towns) should be taken up in the Twelfth Plan, and the cut-off margin should be reduced to 15 per cent and
• Make sure the involvement of the community at every level.