Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy announced that three more competitive exams coaching centres for minority students would be opened at Nizamabad, Cuddapah and Chittoor, soon.
The proposed centres will be in addition to four centres already functioning at Hyderabad, Guntur, Visakhapatnam and Kurnool. The Chief Minister has also sanctioned Rs 15 crores for the repairs of Mosques and churches in the State.
The Chief Minister made the announcements while speaking as the Chief Guest in the “Minority Welfare Day celebrations” on the occasion of the birthday celebrations of Bharat Ratna Moulana Abul Kalam Azad at Ravindra Bharathi here on Sunday. The Chief Minister paid floral tributes to Moulana Azad and said that as first Education Minister of Independent India, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad introduced IITs which are the best in the World and UGC. He said that education alone could bring revolutionary change in the society. Chief Minister appealed to the parents and religious Heads to help the Government in motivating the children to go to school.
The Chief Minister stated that several programmes were being implemented for the welfare of the minorities in the State. Budget for minorities in the state was Rs 30 crores during 2004-05 which was enhanced to Rs 489 crores. While 17,000 students were being given scholarships during 2004-05 amounting to Rs 2 crores, now it has been enhanced to Rs 230 crores for 1.5 lakh students during 2011-12. As the State Government introduced 4 per cent reservations for minorities during 2004, 30,239 engineers, more than one thousand doctors got the benefit and these reservations were extended for another ten years, the Chief Minister said and added that during the recent Police recruitments, 60 Muslim youth got selected as Sub-Inspectors.
The Chief Minister said that 2000 Vidya volunteers were appointed in Madarsas through Rajiv Vidya Mission. In Hyderabad’s Old City, one volunteer was appointed for every 100 households to monitor the children and this facility will be extended all over the state soon. Mess charges to minority students have been enhanced on par with SC, ST students.
The Chief Minister also said that Rs 4.5 crores have been sanctioned for the upgradation of Charminar Unani Tibbi Hospital and National Academy of Construction training centre in the old city has been opened to train the unemployed youth under ‘Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu’, three new Degree College buildings were sanctioned for Hyderabad Old city and Rs 15 crores were released to Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority.
Kiran Kumar Reddy categorically appealed to each one and all that, “All we should live together. We have to protect the great prestige of our Hyderabad City. We have to celebrate all our festivals together with harmony. We will make Hyderabad as one of the best Beautiful City in the World’.
In his presidential address, former minister Mohammad Ali Shabbir said that Moulana Azad’s life should be a role model to modern day politicians. He said that Moulana Azad has almost one-third of his life in jail in the pre-independence period. He was also the longest serving president of Congress party and held the post thrice. He said no political party, especially the Sangh Parivar, could give example of any leader who matches the stature of Moulana Azad.
Shabbir Ali said that the general public, especially the Muslim community, should learn from the lives and sacrifices of leaders like Moulana Azad to grow up in their lives.
Earlier the Chief Minister inaugurated an exhibition of AP Minorities Finance Corporation, A P State Christians Finance Corporation and the activities of A P Wakf Board. Former minister Mohammad Fariduddin, MLCs Farooq Hussain and Shaik Peeran and others spoke on the occasion.
–Agencies