July 26, 2024
Md Nadimul Haque’s Zero Hour mention on the need to address the problems of beneficiaries of Maulana Azad Education Foundation
Sir, my submission pertains to the response given by the Ministry of Minority Affairs to my Unstarred Question dated 22nd July 2024 concerning the closure of the Maulana Azad Education Foundation. The closure of the foundation comes at a critical juncture intersecting with the overall crackdown on minorities. The Budget allocation trend for the Ministry of Minority Affairs over the past five years is alarming with a reduction from Rs.5,000 crore to Rs.3,000 crore. Despite multiple interventions by opposition MPs, including myself, several schemes such as the Maulana Azad National Fellowship, Naya Savera and Padho Pardesh have been discontinued. Sir, the priorities are clear. This 35-year-old foundation established to honour the legacy of India’s first Education Minister has been a beacon of hope for thousands of minority students. The rationale given by the Ministry for the closure is ‘to avoid extra cost to the exchequer’. This is absurd. The foundation received zero funds in the last two years. The BJP Government between 2014 and 2022 spent Rs.7,000 crore on advertisements. This organisation was spending just one per cent of it. Sir, where does this stop? References to Maulana Azad were deleted from NCERT textbooks; the fellowship in his name was discontinued; and now the foundation in his name has been shut down. This is not about politics or jumlas. This is about the future of thousands of students from disadvantaged sections of the society. This is not “sabka saath, sabka vikas”. This is “kuch logon ka saath, kuch logon ka vikas, baki sab saff.
