By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: Finance Minister of West Bengal Mr Amit Mitra raised demand for more than Rs 1000 Cr in the Union Budget for welfare of minorities in the state, after meeting with Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on 18th January in New Delhi. The Central Government had earlier announced Rs 8000 Cr for the development of West Bengal.
State Finance Minister Amit Mitra requested the Central Government to allocate funds specially for Minority development of West Bengal. The state government has proposed five Polytechnic Colleges & Degree College along with Hostel facilities exclusively for Minority women, amounting to the tune of Rs 175 Cr. Mr Mitra also demanded Rs 1500 Cr to establish five Medical Colleges, but he did not mention in which districts they will be set up. Moreover, Rs 800 Cr has been demanded to combat arsenic contamination. Most of the arsenic effected areas are in Muslim dominated Murshidabad and Maldah.
On other hand, West Bengal Government has sought to include two more districts under the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP). Currently there are 12 minority concentrated districts under MSDP.
L-R PMO Advisor TKA Nair (black sweater), Principal Secretary of Minority Affairs (West Bengal) Sk Nurul Haque and CM of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee
A few days ago a team of Prime Minister’s Office headed by Advisor of Prime Minister Mr TKA Nair came to Kolkata. Mr Nair visited two Minority concentrated districts of Burdwan & Birbhum and observed the activities under the MSDP project. Then he visited Metiaburuj & Gardenrich areas in Kolkata. TKA Nair, accompanied by PMO Director Rajev Topno, met with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh & Principal Secretary of Minority Affairs Sk Nurul Haque. They discussed progress of various development programmes of Minority Development under the MSDP project.
There are 12 Minority concentrated districts in West Bengal namely, Murshidabad, Maldah, Birbhum, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Nadia, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Coochbehar, Burdwan & Kolkata.
West Bengal has seen most of the allocated funds not being utilized earlier. They are likely to be used after special initiative of Minority Affairs Department of West Bengal.
In the meeting with PMO delegation, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee proposed to add two districts Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri (Where Muslims are not living in a large number) under the MSDP project. Principal Secretary of Minority Affairs Sk Nurul Haque said, `We have requested them to allocate the increased fund for development of the Minority and to include Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts under the MSDP in the 12th Plan’.
It is fact that, Rs 750 Cr was allocated in 11th Plan. Regarding this fund utilization Mr Haque said, `Six ITI colleges and two polytechnic colleges would be set up. Beside this, Two lakh students are to be given pre-matric Scholarship and one lakh post-matric scholarship’.
The CM has recently laid down foundation stone of a Polytechnic College for Minorities at Mallickpur of South 24 Parganas.
If added two more district with 12 Minority district funds would be shared with additional districts.
A few months back the Chief Minister had visited Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts and met Gorkha Janamukti Morcha leader. After that, she declared special package for these districts and now she has demanded inclusion of the two districts in MSDP project which is specially for Minority concentrated districts.
Besides this, after assuming office, CM Mamata visited Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and some Maoist affected districts and announced special funds, but she has not yet visited Muslim dominated districts like Murshidabad, Maldah and North Dinajpur.
However, the Director of Cultural & Information Affairs, West Bengal, has recently said in a statement that, from 1-6-2011 to 10-1-2012 the state Government has completed the following works:
1. Rs 111.23 Cr has been distributed for Pre-matric & Post Matric Scholarship to the 6.84 lakh minority students in the year 2010-11. The same scholarship will be distributed among 8.77 lakh students up to 31-03-2012.
2. Allocated 20 acre land for Aliah University’s 20-storied building and 5 acre land for 12-storied Haj Bhawan at Rajarhat-New Town area.
3. 4500 Minority Young Boys & Girls have been given skill related training and this kind of training will be given to 5000 young boys & girls within 31-03-2012.
4. In last seven months the state govt. built 3279 homes under Indira Awas Yojana, 1458 ICDS centres, 896 additional classrooms and 155 Health centres.
5. Rs 6 Cr was granted for boundary wall of graveyards in several districts.
While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claims she has completed 90 percent works of Minority welfare development, the reality can be checked by the data given above. Muslim community leaders also allege that development of the minority community has not taken place on the ground as per chief minister’s announcement.