to improve health, education, and drinking water supply to the people belonging to the minority community.
Addressing a rally here on Sunday Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that Muslims have to be brought at par with the majority sections in respect of development. “If we do not do it, the state in general will remain underdeveloped,”, he underlined.
Chief Minister said that the state government has taken up multi-sectoral development programmes for Muslim-majority areas.
He said that Anganwadi centres and health sub-centres would be built in these areas.
Bhattacharjee said an amount of Rs 9.4 crore had been distributed as scholarships to more than 71,000 Muslims in the state.
The state government had also distributed Rs 36 crore to 35,000 Self-Help Groups of the district, he said and stressed on improving madrasa education.
CM urged Madrasas to introduce modern education and the students there should learn English so that they can take up professional courses like management, engineering, medicine and computer education.
CM initiatives are being seen as party strategy to win back Muslims in the state before assembly polls.