Naqvi cites NCM data, says talk about intolerance 'politically

The decline in number of complaints received by the National Commission for Minorities in the last couple of years clearly indicates that the talk about intolerance was "politically-manufactured propaganda", Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said.
The Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs said the Narendra Modi government has kicked out "power brokers and middlemen" and is now working to ensure all-round empowerment of minorities. "Hundreds of crores have already been disbursed to various states for this purpose," he said.
"There are people who kept talking of intolerance but the ground reality is different. The number of complaints received by the National Commission for Minorities related to such incidents has fallen which exposes this politically- manufactured propaganda," Naqvi told reporters here.

Naqvi alleged that some "so-called political champions of secularism" had tried to create an atmosphere of fear to defame the Modi Government but the people have rejected these "ill designs".
Sharing data, Naqvi said that in the year 2012-13, the number of complaints received by the NCM was 2,127 while in 2013-14 this number was around 2,638.
In 2014-15, the number of such complaints came down to 1,995 and in the current fiscal, it is around 1,461, he said.

Naqvi said that under the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) and other initiatives, Minority Affairs ministry has released Rs 565 crores to West Bengal, Rs 303 crores to Uttar Pradesh, Rs 170 crores to Assam while other states too have been provided funds during this year.

He said scholarships worth about Rs 2011 crores were distributed among about 85 lakh students in 2014-15. NMDFC loans worth Rs 431 cr were given to 1.08 lakh beneficiaries.
A 'Sashaktikaran Samagam' (Empowerment Conclave) is also being planned by the Centre in Delhi next year, he said. "Information related to the requirement of minorities before the budget would also be collected from the grass-root level," he said.
Naqvi said that to ensure that funds reach intended recipients, the Minority Affairs Ministry has formed monitoring committees at district and state level comprising of MPs, MLAs, officials and others.