Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Monday that the coalition government in the state is working with the objective of uplifting Muslims, both economically and politically.
Stating that the TDP-led coalition respects the sentiments of Muslims, he assured the community that Waqf properties would be protected.
The Chief Minister was addressing Iftar dinner hosted by the state government here.
He told the gathering that the government taking measures to enhance the living standards of the Muslim community.
Minister for minorities welfare N. Md Farooq, Muslim leaders of TDP, religious heads and representatives of various organisations attended the Iftar dinner.
The Chief Minister promised that the Rs 45 crore arrears towards honorarium for Imams and Muezzins, would be released immediately. He also gave an assurance that a new Haj House would be constructed in Amaravati.
He explained that, since assuming power, the coalition government has implemented numerous welfare schemes for the Muslim community.
CM Naidu joined he prayers and extended his Ramadan greetings to the Muslim community.
He also announced that the government will soon make the unfinished Haj House in Kadapa operational. He said the government is hosting Iftar feasts for Muslim brethren across all districts and constituencies.
“Prophet Muhammad taught that one finds happiness in giving charity to the poor during Ramadan. Helping the poor is, indeed, a core tenet preached by the Quran,” he said.
The Chief Minister mentioned that through the ‘NTR Bharosa’ pension scheme, the government is providing pensions to 4.38 lakh Muslims, incurring an annual expenditure of Rs 3,511 crore.
“We are extending the ‘Thalliki Vandanam’ scheme to 4.5 lakh Muslim students. We have released Rs 264 crore in post-matric scholarships for 19,215 students. Under the ‘Deepam-2.0’ scheme, we are spending Rs 158 crore to provide gas cylinders to 6.20 lakh families. We have disbursed Rs 180 crore as honorarium to Imams and to Muezzins. I have also issued orders to officials to immediately release an additional Rs 45 crore in pending arrears,” the Chief Minister said.
He also stated that the government is appointing qualified Imams as government Qazis.
“We have extended the validity of marriage licenses from 3 years to 10 years. We are making arrangements for 347 Muslims to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage from the Vijayawada embarkation point. We have provided financial assistance amounting to Rs 193 crore to 33,275 beneficiaries. We are equipping the youth with skills to ensure they secure better employment opportunities,” he said.
Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the previous administration pushed the Waqf Board into controversy through G.O. 47. “We have repealed that Government Order and restructured the Waqf Board. We have surveyed 1,500 Waqf properties and are actively safeguarding these assets. We have renamed the Noor Basha Federation as the Dudekula Muslim Finance Corporation and allocated Rs 100 crore to it. While in the previous budget Rs 5,434 crore was allocated for minorities, we have allocated Rs. 6,090 crore this time,” he said.
He pointed out that the previous administration provided a mere Rs 1 lakh to the Urdu Academy; but the coalition government sanctioned Rs. 7 crores. “Under the Abdul Haq Award scheme, we have increased the incentive amount from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.25 lakh. We have allocated Rs 2.85 crore for the construction of Urdu Ghars and Shadi Khanas,” he added.
Vjayawada MP Kesineni Shivnath, MLAs Nazir, Bonda Uma, and Gadde Rammohan, along with several public representatives and Muslim minority leaders, participated in the dinner.
(AINS)
