Syed Ali Mujtaba / Chennai
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has announced a slew of welfare measures for the minority community in the state, particularly Muslims.
Addressing a meeting of the Tamil Nadu Minorities Welfare Board, Stalin said, that Muslim students in the state have been facing financial difficulties since 2022-23 after the Central Government terminated the pre-matric scholarship to minority students of classes 1 to 8. Notwithstanding, “the Tamil Nadu government would implement the scheme through the Wakf Board, which would benefit a total of 1,26, 256 students in the state.”
Further, Stalin said, “Hereafter, co-operative banks would release educational loans of up to ₹5 lakh to students of the minority communities.”
MK Stalin further announced “the extension of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme to the students of classes 1 to 5 in government-aided minority schools in rural areas of Tamil Nadu”
Mr. Stalin said the government would soon grant permission to the Wakf Board to give its lands, on a lease for 30 years, to promote educational, medical, and social goals.
On the issues of Wakf properties under litigation, Stalin said, “his government will get permission from the High Court to set up a tribunal in Madurai to deal with cases related to Wakf Board properties on the lines of the tribunal now functioning in Chennai.”
The Chief Minister further announced, “The State government has brought out an order on February 2, 2024, for the issuing of permanent minority status certificates to all minority educational institutions that would have permanent status,”
“ A web portal by the T.N. e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) is launched to simplify the procedure for the issuing of minority status certificates to educational institutions run by minorities,” he said.
On the appointment of teachers in the minority institutions, the Chief Minister said, “The existing age in the government schools, would also be extended to the appointment of teachers in the minority educational institutions.”
“The government will give recognition to teachers recruited by minority colleges as per the University Grants Commission and the government rules.”
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s announcements also included, that “his government is taking steps to issue a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the repair and renovation of places of worship of minorities in the state.”