By TCN Special Correspondent,
Lucknow: In an apt example of how welfare schemes meant for Muslims are manipulated to exclude the community from getting benefitted, the state minority welfare department in UP has included riders in one such scheme.
Samajwadi Party (SP) government during its election campaign had announced in its poll manifesto that all Muslim girls who pass class X will be provided Rs 30000 as financial assistance. The sum will be meant for their marriage or higher studies.
SP government assumed power in the state on March 15 after landslide victory in the elections. In the first cabinet meeting held after the oath, the poll promise was given the green signal sending joyous signals among the Muslim community.
However, after that the issue did not figure on the agenda. No government order was issued by the state government in this regard. The state government was exposed when in his maiden budget CM Akhilesh Yadav presented on June 1 where the scheme was mentioned but with a qualifier.
Muslims girls from BPL families were the only ones entitled for the benefit—was the rider in the scheme.
Let us analyse the BPL status in the state. Nearly 95 percent of the BPL cards are issues to the Dalits. Further, only one percent Muslims have BPL card. Those who have BPL card are not in a position for their child for higher education. Further the BPL cards are also limited in numbers and thus it cannot be issued new to Muslims.
Thus Muslims have been very cleverly eliminated from the benefit scheme.
Muslim leaders are yet to understand the finer details of adding just BPL family tag in the scheme. No one has yet responded to this manipulation by bureaucrats.