In his address, he exhorted the minorities not to feel isolated from the mainstream. He took pride that Rs 176 crores were allotted for their in the last budget. He said that minorities were not “second-class citizens” but had every right to benefit from their due share in public money. He pointed out that a total of 832 scholarships had been awarded to minority students.
N A Haris, MLA, Shantinagar, however, termed the allocation for minority welfare as ‘meagre’ and stressed on its reaching the beneficiaries. He said that the amount given as scholarship to minority students was a ‘pittance’ compared to high costs of education. He urged the government to enhance the amount and take steps for proper implementation of welfare schemes.
Published 31 October 2009, 20:13 IST