By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: Nearly 10,000 Muslim women aspiring to become economically empowered gathered on 16th August in Sarvodaya college ground in Nellore town of Nellore district, but only to be ignored and abandoned by the district officials.
Haji Abdul Aziz charitable trust (HAAC trust) was the organizer of this huge congregation of Muslim women, to help them form their own self-help groups and get them registered into it. Nearly 370 self-help groups were formed consisting of many Muslim women from different economic strata.
Haji Abdul Aziz
Organizers of the meeting claimed that permission for the meeting and the venue was provided by the collector P. Sridhar, but he failed to turn up to address poor Muslim women which could have given a lot of moral support to the underprivileged. AP minorities’ corporation executive director Dhana Kishore was invited as the chief guest and organizers alleged that Mr. Kishore arrived in Nellore at the same day but failed to attend the program. HAAC trust was shocked to note that not even a single district govt. official like Regional Development Officer or Block Development Officer attended the program.
HAAC trust alleged that congress party leadership in Nellore district has influenced the collector, minority’s corporation director and local district officials and stopped them from attending the program which was meant for poor Muslim women and their economic empowerment, through their own united effort.
Aariz Mohammed
Aariz Mohammed, head of Center for Minorities’ Empowerment was the chief guest for the program. He said schemes which are articulated with the sole aim of empowerment of the Muslim women are not reaching the real stake holders at the ground level. He urged the large gathering of Muslim women to get united in forming their own self-help groups and get benefits from it. He tried to demonstrate for deprived Muslim women the merits of forming self-help groups.
Hyderabad-based businessman Irfan Aziz expressed his happiness in witnessing large number of Muslim women from below poverty line forming and participating in self-help groups. He said it is the duty of every poor person to get his rights which are given in the constitution of this nation. He advised Muslim women to participate in such kind of programs in large numbers.
Irfan Aziz
Haji Abdul Aziz, HAAC trust founder said these self-help groups are non-profit ventures without any personal interest.
Though thousands of Muslim women got enrolled into self-help groups and completed the purpose for the meeting, nonetheless registered strong protest in the venue against the absence of govt. officials. Speakers pacified Muslim women by assuring them, that they will register a complaint with Sonia Gandhi and UPA core committee on the action of Govt. officials.