Maha announces Rs 10-cr package for madrasas

Congress-NCP ruled state attempts to further reach out to traditional vote-bank, while Opposition questions timing

The ruling Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra in a bid to lure Muslim community in the run up to the ensuing Lok Sabha elections today cleared a Rs 10 crore package for 200 of the total 1,889 madrasas across the state.

The government indicated that this was the first phase while other madrasas will be provided similar grant in future. The madrasas are entitled to use funds purely for the modernisation and providing modern and vocational education in addition to religious one.

About 600 students studying in 9th and 10th standards will be given scholarship of Rs 4,000 annually while Rs 5,000 per annum to those students from 11th, 12th standards and those doing ITI courses.

However, the government has laid down a major condition that madrasas entitled for the grant will have to registered with the Charity Commissioner or Waqf Board. Further, the grant will be discontinued if  students from madrasas fail to appear 10th examination.

The state cabinet's decision is a step to implement one of the key recommendations made by the Sachhar Committee in its report. The government has already provided more than Rs 450 crore to state Minorities Commission to streamline various development projects. The government  has asked the banks to provide 15% loan to youths from the minorities to start their business.

State minorities minister Naseem Khan strongly defended the government's decision saying that it was an attempt to bring poor and under privileged children from Muslim community studying in madrasas into mainstream.

Maharashtra’s current population stands at 11.2 crores. Muslims account for 10.6%. Their number is 10.3 million persons. Mumbai Metropolitan Region houses about 15 to 18% Muslim population while other districts with high Muslim population include Greater Mumbai, Thane, Aurangabad, Nashik, Jalgaon and Pune.

As expected the timing of state caibent's decision has been questioned by the opposition Shiv Sena-BJP and also by the Samajwadi Party. Shiv Sena leader Diwakar Raote alleged that this was yet another attempt of the Congress-NCP government for the appeasement of minorities in general.

On the other hand, Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi claimed that the decision was taken keeping the coming general elections in mind. However, he alleged that money meant for minorities rarely reaches to the real beneficiaries.

Munaf Hakim, chairman, State Minorities Commission refuted charges of vote-bank politics. Instead, he explained the government's move was in right direction as it will  help upgrade the educational standards by modernising the madrasas.