By RINA ,
New Delhi: Lambasting the government plan to reallocate rupees seven thousand crore allocated for minorities, Muslim Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (MESCO of Hyderabad), Rahmani Foundation (Bihar) and Jamiatul Falah (Jaipur) today announced to hold a national convention on the issue in Delhi’s Jamia Hamdard in a bid to avert the trend.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the decision taken by the ministry of minority affairs, the leaders of the Dr. Fakhruddin, Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani and Maulana Fazlur Rahman Mujaddidi questioned government motives, saying, “If the funds earmarked for minorities are not used for uplifting their educational, social and economic condition, then, what is use of allocation exercise?”
Responding to the concerns expressed in Sachar Committee report regarding educational, social and economic condition of Indian Muslims, the union government had billed rupees seven thousand crore to be spent in 90 Muslim-majority districts during next five years of the country through district magistrates and other government officers of equal rank but ‘action taken’ has been depressingly dismal because of bureaucratic indolence.
According to available information, various projects of infra-structure like toilet facilities, electricity provision, roads etc. in these minority areas, as submitted to the government in different states, amount to more than 20 thousand crore whose fate is now uncertain. Reacting over this state, the discontented leaders demanded the government, “At least fifty per cent of allocated amount should be spent on developing educational infra-structure, including schools, polytechnics, IITs, Colleges, vocational and skill development centers and self-employment projects, for Muslim minorities.”
The minority leaders also raised the demand for a nodal agency in cooperation with National Minorities Finance and Development Corporation and Maulana Azad Educational Foundation under which minorities’ funds should be spent through Muslim educational organizations in order to ensure that the funds are properly utilized and expectations have been realized.