There are indications that the government intends to appoint permanent and senior officials in all institutions to enhance efficiency and ensure effective implementation of schemes.
Mohammad Alamullah | Clarion India
HYDERABAD – Residents of Hyderabad have consistently been expressing concern over the performance of minority institutions in Telangana state. During the recent assembly elections, a great emphasis was laid on garnering support of the Muslim community with all sorts of promises and sops. Muslims voted overwhelmingly for Congress and the party ousted K. Chandrashekar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) at the hustings.
The election euphoria has died down and a new government is in place since early this month, but the actual execution of minority schemes is nowhere to be seen.
The finance department’s failure to execute the budget earmarked for minorities has resulted in the non-release of funds for many crucial schemes, adversely affecting beneficiaries.
There are reports of potential changes in the Minority Welfare Department and other key positions. The reappointment of Syed Umar Jalil, despite his retirement during the previous BRS government, has raised concerns. The Revanth Reddy government plans to replace post-retirement redeployed officials, estimated to be around five in number.
The state assembly elections were scheduled on October 11, leading to the implementation of the election code of conduct. This had the immediate effect of halting the execution of schemes and the release of budgets. The election notification was issued on November 3, and voting took place on November 30. Following the declaration of results on December 3, the code of conduct ceased to be in effect. However, the budget allocation for minority schemes has not been initiated yet.
There are reports that the finance department has yet to release funds for various schemes, including the honorarium of imams and muazzins, the overseas scholarship scheme, pre-matric and post-matric scholarships, among others. Prior to the election, cheques totaling Rs 1 lakh were issued by the Minority Finance Corporation, and numerous complaints have been registered regarding they getting bounced.
The approved cheques for the Shadi Mubarak scheme have not been deposited into bank accounts of the candidates. Notably, 214 teachers honored with the Best Urdu Teachers Award by the Telangana Urdu Academy have been awaiting their prize money for the past four months. The awards were conferred on August 6 to teachers from schools, colleges, and universities, with paper cheques of Rs 25,000 per person issued as prize money.
Despite the passage of four months, the awardees have not received their prize money. Reliable sources indicate that the government is actively seeking dynamic and honest officials to enhance the performance of minority institutions, entrusting this responsibility to Chief Minister’s Secretary Shahnawaz Qasim. Minority institutions have long been grappling with a shortage of volunteers, often managed by two or three individuals who shoulder additional responsibilities.
B. Shafiullah, Secretary of the Residential School Society, has been assigned additional responsibilities like Haj Committee and Urdu Academy. Secretary of Minority Welfare Syed Umar Jalil holds an additional charge as the Director of Minority Welfare and Director of Study Circle. Kanti Wesley, Managing Director of the Minority Finance Corporation, also has additional responsibilities at Christian Corporation. Khawaja Moinuddin has served as the Chief Executive Officer in charge of the Waqf Board for an extended period.
There are indications that the government intends to appoint permanent and senior officials in all institutions to enhance efficiency and ensure effective implementation of schemes. Leveraging Shahnawaz Qasim’s extensive experience in minority welfare, the chief minister may soon make significant decisions in this regard.
