100% Education Loan Subsidy For Muslims: KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today said that the State government would give 100% subsidized loans in the education and employment sectors, especially for Muslims with low pay grades and those on or below the poverty line. As a part of this, the government would bear 90% of the loans and the rest 10% would be paid through margin money schemes.

At a dinner hosted at KCR's Erravalli farm house, the CM spoke about the welfare schemes that the government was taking up for the benefit of minorities, including Rs. 51,000 aid to 25,000 families towards the Shaadi Mubarak scheme, Rs. 10 lakhs loan for overseas education released to help 400 minority students. Of the 160 "Gurukuls" planned for minorities, 71 started had been and was in the first phase, the CM said. 89 will be started in the next academic year. A total of 500 "Gurukuls" will be established, KCR said. There was a good response from pupils as nearly 36,000 applications poured in to occupy 14,000 seats, he claimed.

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi appreciated the efforts of the Telangana government in this regard and granted Rs. 100 crores towards the same, the Chief Minister said.

The government would also take steps to ensure that Muslims are represented on an administration level, by filling nominated posts with qualified Muslim IAS officers, he said, adding that separate governing bodies would be appointed for the Minorities Finance Corporation, the Minorities Corporation, the Haj Committee, the Urdu Academy and so on.

He also exhorted Minorities to make full use of the opportunity as the government was ready to provide them employment and job security.

The CM formed a committee comprising Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali and IT Minister K T Rama Rao to chalk-out an eight year plan for the development of minority communities.

KCR said that the government was striving for communal amity and that it views all religions and cultures equally, and hoped that all religious communities including Muslims, Hindus, Christians and others would remain in an environment conducive to peace and prosperity.