Hyderabad: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Friday said the state government was giving top priority to the welfare and development of minorities, with special emphasis on their social, economic and educational advancement, along with the creation of necessary infrastructure.
He said the state government was according high priority to the development of Hyderabad's Old City and allocating the necessary funds for infrastructure and development projects.
The government was committed to providing better educational opportunities for minority students and laying a strong foundation for their future, he added.
As part of the assurance given by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy during the previous Assembly session to review minority welfare, a high-level review meeting was held at Praja Bhavan on Friday.
The meeting, chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister along with Minority Welfare Minister Mohammad Azharuddin, discussed various issues related to minority education, implementation of welfare schemes, construction of educational institutions, establishment of study circles and development of the Old City.
Bhatti Vikramarka assured that there would be no delays or restrictions in the release of funds aimed at expanding educational opportunities for minorities.
He directed officials to prepare an action plan to complete the multi-storey building adjacent to Haj House in Nampally, which has remained unfinished for several years.
The Deputy Chief Minister instructed officials to allocate Rs 25 crore for the building's construction from the funds payable by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to the Waqf Board for Waqf lands utilised for various road-widening projects.
He directed that the construction be completed at the earliest and the building be made operational. He said the facility could accommodate a study circle for minority students, besides various offices of the Minority Welfare Department.
The Deputy Chief Minister made it clear that there would be no delays in clearing bills related to the construction of educational institution buildings.
He directed officials to ensure the timely release of funds for schools, study circles and other educational institutions that contribute to the educational advancement of minority students.
He also instructed GHMC officials to remove obstacles to the establishment of two proposed study circles in the Moghalpura and Bandlaguda areas.
During the meeting, AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi expressed his willingness to provide buildings for operating the study circles in these two areas. The Deputy Chief Minister asked him to submit formal proposals in this regard.
Bhatti Vikramarka announced that the government was expanding the scope of the overseas scholarship scheme to provide more opportunities for minority students to pursue higher education at international institutions.
He said the government would take necessary steps to include Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the list of eligible countries under the scheme, enabling qualified minority students to pursue higher education in these countries with government assistance.
The meeting also discussed several other issues concerning minority welfare, including the Shaadi Mubarak scheme, allocation of alternative land for the Islamic Cultural Centre, disposal of applications received from minorities under the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam scheme and release of pre-matric scholarships.
The Deputy Chief Minister also assured that issues concerning Christian minorities would be examined and necessary steps taken to resolve them.
He instructed officials to ensure that the benefits of welfare schemes reached every eligible beneficiary.
Reaffirming the government's commitment to the educational, social and economic development of minorities, Bhatti Vikramarka said the administration would continue to focus on improving infrastructure and implementing development programmes in Hyderabad's Old City.