May 5, 2014
1000 days at a glance: Minority Development
Ever since the Trinamool Congress led byMs. Mamata Banerjee came to power in West Bengal, special focus has been givento the development of minority communities in the state. The Government worksfor all, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion. In the lasttwo-and-a-half years, various scholarships worth Rs 993.2 crore have beenconferred on 57 lakh students from minority communities.
Scholarshipsfor students: From 2006-07 to 2010-11, only 8.69lakh students were given scholarships worth Rs 193 crore whereas in 2012-13alone, 17.72 lakh students were conferred scholarships worth Rs 298 crore. Inthe financial year 2013-14, till date, scholarships worth Rs 417 crore havebeen provided to 22.77 lakh students.
Morecredit for self-employment: During the tenure ofthis government, credit amounting to Rs 462 crore has been provided to 2.5 lakhminority youths for self-employment. During 2010-11, credit worth Rs 30 crorewas given to 5637 people, whereas during 2012-13, credit worth Rs 208 crore hasbeen given to 1.21 lakh people. In financial year 2013-14, till date, 69,000youths have been provided with credit worth Rs 112 crore.
Morereservation in government jobs and higher studies:94.5% of total Muslim population of the state has been provided reservation injobs and higher studies.
Due to the continuous efforts of thegovernment of West Bengal and as an outcome of a long-standing demand, thegovernment of India has enlisted 37 new communities as OBCs, out of which 35are minority communities. This will enhance the scope of education and jobsamong the Muslims.
Providingbicycles to facilitate education: Bicycles havebeen provided to 1.82 lakh girl-students from minority communities.
RecognizingUrdu language: Urdu has been recognised as anofficial language in areas where the Urdu-speaking population is 10% or more ofthe total. Branches of Urdu Academy are going to be opened in Asansol andIslampur.
Newinitiatives in education sector:
- Work for the construction of a new medicalcollege at the border of North and South 24 Parganas, seven polytechniccolleges and 24 ITIs in minority-dominated areas across the state is underway.238 new hostels are being built for minority students.
- An additional few thousand teachers for 614madrasahs will be appointed. Besides, construction work for 12 English-mediummadrasahs has started. Two new buildings of Aliah University, at Rajarhat andGorachand Road in Kolkata, are being built at a cost of Rs 298 crore.
- Courses on education (B Ed) and Islamictheology, and the higher secondary section of Anglo-Persian School haverecently been inaugurated at the new campus of Aliah University. These haveopened a new door for higher studies for minority students.
- 614 madrasahs across the state have beengiven a total of Rs 3.57 crore as laboratory grant and Rs 2.61 crore as librarygrant, and 87 madrasahs have been given computers worth Rs 3.68 crore.
- Three thousand seven hundred and fifty sahteachers are being trained to acquire B Ed and D L Ed certificates.
Stepsfor the security of cemeteries: Rs 66 crore hasbeen provided for reforming 1400 burial grounds.
Loans and scholarships for minorities
Constructionof Haj-house: Construction of the third Haj-housefor Haj Pilgrims is going on. Under the Geetanjali and Natun Bari housingprojects, 1.48 lakh minority-community families have been given financial helpto construct houses.
Marketinghubs to facilitate self-employment: Construction ofmarketing hubs in 212 blocks have started, with the aim being to construct 500such hubs across the state. Of these, 109 marketing hubs are being constructedby the Department of Minority Affairs to market products made by minorityself-help groups. To provide more employment opportunities, 2.66 lakh peoplehave been given training.
Minority-communitybuildings in the districts: Eighteenminority-community buildings in 18 districts have been planned; out of this, 15have already been completed.
Infrastructuredevelopment under Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP): Under this project, 11,196 new anganwadi centres, 944 sub-healthcentres, 10,164 additional classrooms in schools and 12,421 tube wells havebeen constructed.
For the complete list of achievements, click here.
