By Mumtaz Alam, India Tomorrow,
New Delhi, 04 March 2014: In an apparently last bid to please Muslims ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress-led UPA government on Tuesday launched two minority-welfare schemes including the Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme for the children studying at minority schools in the country.
Accompanied with the Minister of State for Minority Affairs Ninong Ering and Member, Planning Commission, Dr. Syeda Hameed, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, K. Rahman Khan launched the Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme at a function here at India Islamic Cultural Centre. Mr. Khan also handed over Sehat Cards to a few students.
On the occasion, the Ministry of Minority Affairs also launched a pilot project of the Nalanda Project, a faculty development program for minorities’ higher educational institutions, in partnership with Aligarh Muslim University.
It is interesting to note here that the government has launched the schemes about health and education of the minority a few days after, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, India’s largest socio-religious organization released its Public Manifesto asking people to choose for non-BJP and non-Congress candidates. The manifesto carried 15 demands including more spending on education and health.
Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme
Under the Maulana Azad Sehat scheme, “Sehat Card” would be issued to every student of the Institution financially aided by Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF). Preventive Health Check-up Camps would be organized by the Institute twice in a year, through Government/Private Hospitals/Nursing Homes.
In exceptional and deserving cases for serious ailments, the poor students belonging to notified minorities would be provided financial assistance for treatment in Government/Recognized Hospitals. Serious ailments of Kidney, Heart, Liver, Cancer and Brain or any other life threatening diseases including Knee surgery and Spinal surgery would be covered, announced the minister.
The corpus of MAEF has been raised from Rs.750 crore to Rs.1250 crore during 12th Plan. MAEF also supports private educational institutions to develop educational infrastructure.
Nalanda Project
Nalanda Project is a Faculty Development Program of Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, under its Information, Education and Communication (IEC) strategy for awareness, orientation and development of faculties of Minority Universities/ Minority Managed Degree Colleges (MMDCs) and higher educational institutions located in minority concentration areas in the country.
The pilot project of the Nalanda Project will be taken up at Aligarh Muslim University, which is also a Nodal Staff College of University Grant Commission.
Speaking on the occasion, Minority Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan said: “Ministry aims for inclusive growth of notified minorities namely, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains. It adopted a multi-pronged strategy for development of minority communities with focus on educational empowerment; area development; economic empowerment; women empowerment; development of vulnerable minority communities and strengthening of minority institutions.”
The Ministry of Minority Affairs was created on 29th January 2006 with a mission to ensure a focused approach towards issues relating to the minorities and to facilitate the formulation of overall policy, planning and development programmes for the benefit of the minority communities.
Mr. Khan recalled major schemes launched by the Congress-led UPA government in last 10 years, particularly scholarship schemes, multi-sectoral development program.
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