TS State first in country to provide non-statutory benefits to minorities

Hyderabad: Aimed at welfare and upliftment of minorities, the State government has issued orders on providing all non-statutory benefits and schemes to the minorities on par with SC/STs.
The decision which makes Telangana the first State in the country to extend such benefits to minorities look at the social, economic, educational and institutional development and upliftment of minorities.

Among other aspects, the order issued by Minorities Welfare department has constitution of ‘Minorities Welfare Fund’ on the lines of Social Welfare Fund with an objective to financially assist and encourage social welfare activities.

To make minority youth self-employed, four skill development centers will be set up in four districts at a cost of Rs 100 crore. Apart from this, every year, 100 minority entrepreneurs will get incentives under T-PRIME schemes as being provided to the SC/STs under T-IDEA and T-PRIDE schemes respectively.

Irrespective of their economic status, farmers belonging to minority communities would get 100 per cent subsidy like their ST counterparts under Drip and Micro irrigation scheme. Moreover, a Land Development Scheme would be implemented with a target to benefit 1000 marginal minority farmers in the State.

MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi who has been seeking benefits as backward classes have been getting for long, welcomed the government’s move and called it as a historical and far-reaching nod of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao which could wipe out all form of backwardness in minorities particularly in Muslim community.

On his demand, the Chief Minister had promised on the Assembly floor that other benefits like relaxation of age and passing marks in entrance tests to get government employment and admission in profession courses would also be included.