Cong for more freedom to minority institutions

Union Law minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid also promised to increase the purview of welfare schemes for

Muslims. He said most of the recommendations of the Sachar Committee have been implemented by the UPA government and it was working on the implementation of the remaining ones.

Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh,who presided over the conference,said he would take up the issue of implementing Ranganath Mishra Commission recommendations with the Central government.

“We know the conditions of some Muslims is worse than that of Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes and there is no problem in providing reservation to socially and economically backward Muslims,” he said.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi,UP Congress Committee president,Pramod Tiwari,Congress Legislature Party leader, and Annu Tandon,Congress MP from Unnao,were also present at the conference. Besides,Zafaryab Jilani,All India Muslim Personal Law Board member and SP Rajya Sabha MP Rashid Masood were also present at the meeting.

Addressing the audience,Khurshid said the government was working on announcing the districts with 15 per cent minority population as Minority Concentrated Districts (MCDs). The move,he said,will help another 23 districts of UP get the benefit of schemes under the programme. He said the package for MCDs will also be doubled.

Khurshid said the Central government aimed at providing scholarships to all eligible minority students. He further said the government was also committed to providing ITI like facilities to Islamia colleges in the country.

“We want to give you equal representation not only in jobs and education but also in sports,housing etc,for which the government is deliberating on setting up an Equal Opportunity Commission”,said Khurshid addressing the Muslim gathering.

Digvijaya said most of the Central schemes for minorities were not being implemented properly by the state governments and suggested the Centre could implement them through institutions like Maulana Azad Foundation instead of the state governments.