Lack of awareness deprives Minority women of govt aid

Hyderabad: Many women belonging to minority community are unaware of various schemes introduced by both the State and Centre governments for their welfare. With only 350 getting benefitted from single woman pension scheme, women activists allege that many are unaware of such schemes due to lack of awareness by the Minority Welfare. Apart from a few schemes like minority scholarships, loans etc., the Minority Welfare has failed in creating awareness about other schemes that provide assistance to women from minority communities, said women activists. According to the data sourced from Telangana State Wakf Board, the Board is providing a monthly divorcee pension to over 350 minority women. "Ever since the scheme was introduced, we received only a few hundred applications. As of now, 350 are getting benefited from this scheme with the monthly pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000," informed an official of Wakf Board.

Meanwhile, the women organisations and activists in the city are raising concerns over providing pension to only a few women leaving many others in lurch. "Most of the single women, divorcees and widows from underprivileged families are struggling to make ends meet. They are unaware of such schemes through which they can get benefited. The Minority Welfare has to create awareness about such schemes and provide assistance for their betterment," said Jameela Nishat, Founder and Director Shaheen Women's Resource and Welfare Association, who has been working for women since 2004. In a survey conducted among 4,000 families in the 20-odd slums in parts of Old City, the Association found that over 1,000 families have single women who are either divorcees or widows struggling with no financial assistance from government and the Minority welfare department. "After the survey, we came to know that the Wakf Board is providing pension to only a few hundred women in the State. The Minority Welfare department must work towards creating awareness about these schemes so that the community can get benefitted," added Jameela Nishat.

Mehraj, a women's activist, while raising the issue of lengthy process for applying for divorcee pension scheme in Wakf Board, she said, "Once the women are divorced, the Wakf Board itself provides the divorce certificate for Muslim women. But for applying the pension, they have to get certificate from trial court. In the process of getting certificate from court, years will be passed and women will be left without assistance." "The Minority Welfare should make it an easy process at least now through MRO, as they have done for Shaadi Mubarak scheme and also increase the assistance amount from Rs 1,000 or Rs 3,000," urged Mehraj. However, the Wakf Board officer informed that the process of monthly assistance had to be from trail court and the amount of pension would be decided only by the court.