Established in 2013, Aligarh Muslim University’s Kishanganj (AMU-K) centre in Bihar is without proper funds for many years now.
Sami Ahmad | TwoCircles.net
BIHAR — As finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union Budget 2022 on Tuesday, a Twitter campaign for the release of funds for Aligarh Muslim University’s Kishanganj (AMU-K) centre in Bihar took social media by storm.
On January 27, there were more than two and a half lakhs tweets with hashtag #FundForAMUKishanganj. The hashtag was among Twitter’s top trends. Parliamentarians Asaduddin Owaisi, Shashi Tharoor and BJP MLC Dilip Jaiswal tweeted in favour of the demand for funds for this centre apart from educational bodies such as SIO of India, Rashtriya Ulema Council and Education Bihar.
Story behind the trend
AMU-K was established in 2013 on the recommendation of the Sachar Committee along with two other centres in Malappuram (Kerala) and Murshidabad (West Bengal). The centre was deemed to play a pivotal role in the educational upliftment of this only Muslim majority district of Bihar. It is estimated that around 25,000 students will benefit from the centre once it’s fully functional.
However, lack of funds has impeded the working of this centre. In 2014, the UPA government approved Rs. 136 crores for the centre. Out of this, Rs 10 crore were released by the NDA government in 2015.
People associated with the institute are now demanding the release of the pending funds.
On January 24, a tweet on AMU-K’s Twitter said a Twitter storm will take place with hashtag #FundForAMUKishanganj to appeal to the Union government to release funds for the institute.
On January 27, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted that the delay in releasing funds for AMU-K was “a deliberate neglect” and asked “why is Seemanchal being ignored.” Owaisi said that in 2017, he wrote a letter to the then HRD minister for the release of funds and in March last year he demanded a sanction of Rs. 500 crores for the institute.
Have repeatedly raised the demand for #FundForAMUKishanganj. But there’s been no action. Why is Seemanchal being ignored? @PMOIndia @naqvimukhtar have done nothing for educational empowerment of Muslims. Deliberate neglecthttps://t.co/rRawyDVcdi
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) January 27, 2022
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor wrote, “I support for fund,” and that the overall budget approved in 2014 has still not come through.
Apart from releasing a video message, BJP’s MLC Dilip Jaiswal tweeted “Govt. should consider for AMU fund.”
Local M.P. Dr Mohmmad Jawaid has been vocal about the issue and appealed to netizens to join this Twitter storm.
National President of Tipu Sultan Party, Prof. Shaikh Sadeque tweeted, “The branch of AMU Kishanganj is the future of the entire Seemanchal, the government should release fund.”
The branch of AMU Kishanganj is the educational future of the entire Seemanchal, government should release funds#FundForAMUKishanganj
— Prof Shaikh Sadeque پروفیسر صادق (@TSP_President) January 27, 2022
Social activists from the region believe that once the centre starts functioning, it will be a big boost for Kishanganj, considered the most backward district of Bihar. They believe that in addition to catering to aspiring students in Seemanchal region and Bihar, youth from Jharkhand and neighbouring West Bengal districts will also benefit from the centre.
NMCG hurdle to start work
At present, the proposed centre of AMU-K is restricted to a few buildings at Millat chowk of Kishanganj. Although the Bihar government has provided 24 acres of land, the construction was first stopped by the National Green Tribunal and now the case is pending with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
Following a complaint by one local Manjhi Pragnas Abhen Baise, the environment clearance for the proposed centre at Chakla, eight kilometres from Kishanganj town, is stuck with the NCGM.
Need for sanction of posts
Dr Hasan Imam, director of AMU-K told TwoCircles.net that there were two important requirements to run this centre. “One is the proper sanction of posts both for teaching and non-teaching staff and clearance from NMCG,” he said.
Dr Imam said that at present only one course is taught at the centre by a guest faculty (seven teachers in total) who are being paid from AMU resources and fee collection.
“For us, an ideal situation is one where the posts for permanent teachers are sanctioned and we are able to have enough funds to pay them,” he said.
Initially, this centre had two residential courses viz B.Ed. and M.B.A. The B.Ed course was discontinued after two batches because the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) did not recognise the course.
The case is pending in Patna High Court.
What next?
Local journalist Hasan Jawed, who was active during the Twitter campaign, was happy to see the online buzz about the institute. “It was great to see this trending for around four hours.”
Shah Faisal, a social activist in Kishanganj was content to see the issue getting highlighted. He expressed his satisfaction that the issue had attracted such huge support on Twitter. “Now, it is up to the government to pay attention to this demand for the fund as it would help the entire region,” Faisal said.
He said that the government should see NITI Aayog’s report on the backwardness of Kishanganj. “We don’t have proper government educational institutions after class 10, which affects the girl students the most,” he said. “If we don’t get the funds released in the coming budget, we will hit the streets and protest.”
Sami Ahmad is a journalist based in Patna, Bihar. He tweets at @samipkb.