Initiating a discussion on promotion of entrepreneurship and self-employment among minorities, Mohammad Adeeb (Ind) sought to know as to what the minorities have got when the government said that it had sanctioned schemes for them.
He referred to a slum with about five lakh Muslims near Okhla in the national capital saying there was no school in the locality.
Adeeb regretted absence of any standing committee attached to the Minority Affairs Ministry and sought a clarification from the government whether the 1.40 crore scholarships sanctioned for minority students were given to as many students or was a cumulative figure awarded to students as they graduated to higher classes.
Raising the issue of funding for the minority programmes, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (BJP) demanded a statement from the government about the resources earmarked for different programmes.
He alleged that only Rs 87 is being provided per person per year, and this fund too did not reach the beneficiaries.
Ali Anwar Ansari (JD-U) demanded early implementation of the Equal Opportunities Commission, a recommendation of the Sachchar committee.
His suggestion was supported by Husain Dalwai (Cong), who demanded that scholarships for the Muslim students be made universal.
He raised the issue of problems faced in getting land for setting up of Muslim educational institutes, a concern shared by several other Members.
