Masjid Faizi, Thani Sandara, Bangalore – A Commendable Initiative with “Social Seva Kendra”
According to studies, nearly 40% of the Muslim population lives below the poverty line. Muslims make significant efforts to help the poor through their resources, especially Zakat and charity, yet poverty does not seem to decrease. On the other hand, the government also provides welfare schemes to help the needy. A recent government report states that nearly 800 million people are receiving rations and various other benefits across the country. However, it is unfortunate that most deserving Muslims fail to benefit from these schemes.
In such a situation, when someone comes asking for help, we must ask them a few essential questions:
- Do they have an Aadhaar card and a ration card?
- Do they possess a BPL (Below Poverty Line) card?
- Do they have the health card?
- In case of a widow, has she applied for a widow pension card?
- In case he/she is a disabled person, does he/she get a disability card?
- For the elderly, does one have the old-age pension card?
- If a woman, has she applied for the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme? Etc.
If they already have these cards, why do they still need financial help? And if they don’t, why haven’t they applied for these?
Most people miss out on these government benefits due to a lack of awareness.
In such cases, instead of giving them cash, we should send them to a cybercafé and request the staff there to help them apply online for the required welfare schemes and documents. Any service charges should be paid directly to the cybercafé. If possible, we should also keep a copy of the application receipt in our email for future follow-ups.
If they still fail to obtain these cards through online applications, we should seek the help of professionals who handle such processes and pay them their service fees – but we must avoid handing out direct cash.
In this regard, the recent initiative of Seva Kendra launched by Masjid Faizi, Thani Sandara, Bangalore – 64, is highly commendable. We should strive to establish similar centres in all major mosques to ensure that deserving individuals can access their legal rights and government benefits. If any hurdles arise, assistance should be sought from local representatives such as corporators, panchayat heads, MLAs, etc.
For further information, one may contact Masjid Faizi, Thani Sandara, Bangalore, or reach out to me directly.
Mohammad Naushad, Advocate
Nikko Homes, Bhartiya City, Bangalore
Mobile Number: [9661428796]
