West Bengal doubles funds for Muslims, madrasas education
By IANSMonday, March 22, 2010
KOLKATA - In an apparent bid to woo the Muslims ahead of next year’s assembly polls, the West Bengal government Monday proposed to more than double the plan outlay for minorities and madrasa education from Rs.121 crore to Rs.300 crore next year.
Presenting the state budget for 2010-11, Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta said special priority has been accorded to the improvement of vocational and technical education in madrasas along with expansion of education and improvement of standards.
He said this was needed so that the students belonging to the minority community can have wider opportunities of employment and income.
The state government last month announced it would reserve 10 percent of government jobs for economically, socially and educationally backward Muslims by including them in the OBC (other backward class) category.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee then said his government would adopt the Ranganath Mishra Commission’s recommendations for bettering the lot of the state’s underprivileged Muslims.
