Department set to consult Minority Affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
By Shafeeq Hudavi, TwoCircles.net,
Kozhikode: Claiming a laudable performance in discharging its duties towards and completion of time-bound projects for the welfare of minorities, the Kerala state minority welfare department has asserted that it is still getting a raw deal from the Centre’s Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Backing its claim of “negligence towards the demands raised by the state in the Union budget”, the department quickly puts forth the lack of favourable fund allocation for Kerala.
Incidentally, the state had earned a good word from the Centre for its utilisation of funds and time bound completion of the schemes, officials claimed. “Unlike Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which are provided with huge amount of money and yet fail on these two parametres, we could extend benefits to the maximum deserving people. These two states are known for regular lapse of funds or surrendering a huge share of the allocated amount to the Union as they fail to utilise it,” Dr Nazeer, director of the Minority Welfare Department, said.
While talking to Twoircles.net, an official with the Minority Welfare Department alleged that the Union Government was sabotaging the state’s minority welfare schemes and that the state is yet to get a positive response towards its long pending demands such as allowing more minority concentrated districts and setting up minority blocks.
“The benefits of the multifaceted development projects, conceptualised for the comprehensive development of the minorities, still remain limited to Wayanad district. Manjalamkuzhy Ali, Kerala’s Minister for Minority Welfare, had raised the demand to disseminate the projects to more districts during his meeting with the Union Minister for Minority Affairs at Kochi in July, 2014. But the demand is yet to be addressed,” he lamented.
“The Minister had raised various demands including the approval of 42 minority cluster villages and hike in the allocation for pre-matric and post-matric scholarships. The present amount allocated in the central budget is very meagre for distributing among the deserving students from various minorities. Though the minister had ensured early redressal of the woes and allocation of bonus for the shining performance of the state, the offers are yet to materialise,” he added.
No allocation was granted in the budget for implementation of the Scheme to Provide Quality Education in Madrassas (SPQEM) and Infrastructure Development in Minority Institutes (IDMI).
Sources within the Minority Welfare Department Minister’s office said the Department is all set to consult the Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the junior Minister for Minority Affairs at the Centre to convey its dissent over the Union government’s failure in addressing the demands. We will also demand adequate funds to implement various schemes proposed for minority welfare in Kerala.