Amaravati: Imams and mouezzins in Andhra Pradesh will soon get monthly honorarium of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively while each intending Haj pilgrim will be paid Rs.1 lakh as the state government has decided to implement the poll promises.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Monday, directed officials to implement these poll promises soon. These also include financial assistance of Rs.5,000 for management of each mosque.
He gave the direction during a review meeting on minorities welfare at the State Secretariat. However, no time limit has been set to roll out these schemes.
The Chief Minister also directed the officials to complete the survey of Waqf Board lands within two years. He gave his approval for the proposal submitted by the officials for the development of Waqf lands. He directed that only those belonging to the Muslim community should be made partners in the development of Waqf lands. The Chief Minister wanted officials to make sure that Waqf Board get the income and the Muslim community benefit from the development of Waqf lands.
The Chief Minister also gave his nod for setting up Noor Basha Corporation.
Chandrababu Naidu also directed that the government departments should not unnecessarily interfere in religious activities. He said the departments should act in a manner so as not to hurt the self-respect of the community.
He directed that eligible imams be appointed as government qazis. He suggested that the process for allotment of lands for Muslim graveyards should be initiated through district collectors.
Minister for minority welfare N. Md. Farooq and officials attended the meeting.
Naidu is heading the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, which has Jana Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the other partners. It remains to be seen how BJP reacts to Naidu’s decision to implement the poll promises as the saffron party has always opposed such schemes.
The government last week completed 100 days but it has not yet implemented major poll promises including those made to Muslim community. During the review meeting, Chandrababu Naidu ordered restructuring of all the welfare schemes for minorities.
He asked officials to evolve a new formula for implementing the schemes after studying in detail the schemes that were implemented during the earlier TDP regime (2014-19), the promises made to the minorities during the recent elections and in line with the present situation.
He also made it clear to the officials that all the pending works under the Pradhana Mantri Jana Vikas Yojana programme for which Rs 447 crore has already been sanctioned should be completed expeditiously.
The shadikhanas and other structures that were taken up during the previous TDP regime (2014-19) should also be completed. He said the works that have not been taken up should be cancelled and should be relaunched after a thorough review.
The officials informed the Chief Minister that 80 percent of the works of the Haj House in Kadapa have been completed. He was informed that Rs 24 crore was sanctioned for the project by the previous TDP government. He asked officials to complete the work at the earliest.
He asked officials to examine the possibility of setting up some training institutes of the Central government related to minorities in the Haj House.
