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Maha mulls aid upto Rs 10 lakh for 'minority' gram panchayats

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Press Trust of India Mumbai

At present, the scheme is implemented only in minority dominated urban towns. The extension of the scheme to rural areas will be introduced in the cabinet soon.

Minority Affairs minister Arif Mohammed Naseem Khan said as many as 564 gram panchayats will be benefited due to this scheme. Facilities like Water supply, sanitation, an auditorium, crematoriums/ burial ground will be provided.

The funds will be provided as per the population. If the population is more than ten thousand and minorities comprise 50 per cent, the gram panchayat will get Rs 10 lakh.

Similarly, gram panchayats having three to five thousand people will get Rs 7.5 lakh and those with two to three thousand population will get Rs five lakh. Those having less than two thousand population will get Rs four lakh.

 

The minister said the local bodies will get further funds only if earlier provisions are utilised.

He said four years ago, the scheme was first introduced in urban areas and got good response.

In 2008, 161 municipal corporations and councils benefited. In 2009, 184 and in 2010, 214 municipal corporations and councils received funds. Last year, 244 local bodies benefited from these funds and Rs 70 crore were spent on this scheme.

For the implementation in rural areas, Rs 36 crore fund is required and it will begin after cabinet approval, he added.

The Minister said from the next academic year, girls belonging to minority community studying in class eight, nine and tenth, will be provided with cycles.

"In view of the high dropout rate among minority community girls from schools, this decision has been taken. Most of the times schools are situated away from villages and parents feel sending girls to school is unsafe," he said.

  

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First Published: Dec 10 2012 | 5:25 PM IST

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