The Empowered Muslim



Source: ibntimes



At an India level, in 2013-14, total allocation for Ministry of Minority Affairs has increased to Rs 3,530 crore from Rs. 3,151.98 in 2012-13 (BE). This is an increase of 12 per cent over 2012-13 BE which is very insignificant. Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP) was being implemented in 90 districts during 2012-13 and now it will be scaled up to cover 200 districts in 2013-14.  There is an increase of 222crore in the allocation for the programme in 2013-14. It has increased to Rs.1,110 crore in 2013-14 from 887.90 in 2012-13.

The Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) works as a vehicle to implement educational schemes. The MAEF will start medical aid by providing medical facilities such as an infirmary or a resident doctor in the educational institutions run or funded by the MAEF. Finance Minister proposed to allocate 100 crore to launch this initiative, but no mention has been made in the Note on Demand for Grants of Ministry of Minority Affairs for 2013-14. The allocation of MAEF has been increased to Rs.160 crore in 2013-14 from Rs. 100 Crore in 2012-13.

There were four important schemes initiated in 2012-13 for development of minorities which has been scraped in 2013-14. These includes schemes like Scheme for promotion of education in 100 minority concentration towns/cities (out of 251 such towns/cities identified as backward), Village Development Programme for Villages not covered by MCB/MCD, Support to District Level Institution in MCDs and Free Cycle for Girl Students of Class IX.

The West Bengal government spends about Rs. 20,000 crores on developments. Muslims claims that they should get a proportion equal to they population size. According to them, Rs. 450 crores of the Central government funds for their development are returned by the government. TMC has increased the Minority funds to as high as year as 76 per cent in a year.

Not to be out done by the previous government, Mamata promised sops galore. While she was Railway Minister from 2009 to 2011, Banerjee used the resources of that ministry to cater to the West Bengal electorate, and to Muslim aspirations in particular. Thus, over a seven months period in 2010 she inaugurated or laid foundation stones for no less than 120 railway projects in West Bengal, many of them in areas with a significant Muslim population.

Moreover, in 2012 her government would provide loans and stipends to 75,000 Muslim students, up from 52,000 in 2011. In all, the monetary support to the minorities department in the state budget had been increased by 76 percent in just one fiscal year. 

This is of course not the end, 760 Muslim girls were given bicycles for travelling to school and back. This was termed as "women empowerment"!  

She sanctioned 10000 madrasas in West Bengal, establishment of Aligarh Muslim University in WB and three Haj Towers in a row.  

She increased the number of scholarships given to Muslim students from 4 lakh students per year to 17 lakhs in 2011-12 to 22 lakhs the next year.

She has also declared forthcoming establishments of  56 Muslim marketing hubs, where 56000 Muslims will get employments in coming days.

   

Mamata Banerjee  topped the other appeasements by declaring Rs. 2500 per month as Imam Honorarium and Rs. 1000 for Muazzins with other facilities.

Though Mamata Banerjee is habituated beating her own drum of success, most of the fund has come to West Bengal from Central Govt., through  the multi-sectoral development project (MSDP) for poor Muslim women, launched under the Prime Minister’s 15-point programme for minorities, which followed the Sachar report on so called Muslims’ plight.

As per the report available from Union minority affairs ministry, it is said that the state had received Rs 800 crore towards the scheme last year (20111-12) but will receive Rs 1,100 crore this year (2012-13).

She has described her government’s decision to bring the minorities under the ambit of reservation by including them in the list of Other Backward Classes (OBC) as a major achievement. For fulfilling her desire Mamata Banerjee’s  Govt has also included Sheikh/Shaik (Sk.) Muslim community in the State OBC list and declared the matter publicly.

Of the 144 different categories who will benefit from the 17 per cent OBC reservation, 87 categories (59 in class A and 28 in class B) are Muslim minority.

She also lists the achievement of her government in  the declaration of second language status to Urdu in areas where the Urdu-speaking population is more than 10 per cent as a major victory.  

Finally, Durga Puja is followed by Id-ul-Zuha and she allows  the illegal slaughter of cows around Durga Puja pandals.

Where does the appeasement end? When is enough is enough?