More priority to Muslims’ welfare: Palle

Anantapur: The State government is giving more priority to the welfare of Muslim minorities, Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy asserted here on Saturday. It sanctioned Rs 376 crore for their welfare this year, including Rs 100 crore as scholarships.

Speaking after releasing the New Year calendar brought out by the State Minorities Employees’ Welfare Association, he stated that the government, headed by N Chandrababu Naidu, would always strive for the welfare of the minorities.

Listing the steps being taken, Palle said the Dulhan scheme would benefit poor unmarried Muslim women and youth by getting Rs 50,000 each. Under the Roshni package, Rs 25,000 each was being paid to widows, divorced women and disabled persons by the Minorities Finance Corporation. Skill development programmes for both men and women were being taken up. The Minister said subsidised loan of Rs 25,000 each was given to small traders as the unit cost. Financial assistance ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 was being extended to each person under the Adarna scheme. Subsidy of Rs 1 lakh was being paid to each unemployed youth under self-employment scheme.

The other assistance extended to Muslims included scholarships to students, fee reimbursement, payment of honorarium to Imams and sanction of a study centre for students. Steps were being taken to build the Haj House in Guntur and to set up Urdu university in Kurnool. He stated that the government had constituted task force committees headed by the Collector and the SP to confiscate occupied Wakf properties. Over 290 acres of Wakf lands have been taken over in the district.

Palle revealed that this year 2,600 Muslims were undertaking the Haj pilgrimage. Applications from them would be received till February 8. Among those present were association leaders Fakruddin, Sharukh, Hidayatullah, Nizam, district minorities leaders Ashraf Ali, Shaik Vali, Saleem and Khader.