Govt to help Muslims to acquire education, ministers declare

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 27: Dr Abdus Sattar, the minister of state for minority affairs and Madrasa education, laid the foundation of a Rs 2.5-crore Muslim girls' hostel in Cooch Behar today. The proposed two-storied hostel will provide accommodation to two hundred girl students.

 

Md Abdur Rezzak Mollah, state land and land revenue minister, said the Muslims are suffering from identity crisis in several provinces in the country after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. But, in West Bengal, they are suffering from the unemployment problem. According to history the Muslims are minority in this country for so many years. Their position is not satisfactory enough till now even in West Bengal especially in the field of education and allied sectors, he said.

 

Mr Mollah advised the Muslims to go ahead by acquiring knowledge through education. West Bengal has the requisite environment for that, he claimed. Citing the examples of Bangladesh and Pakistan he said that the Muslim girls are coming up to take up responsible positions in those countries, then why they should not raise their heads here too. He reminded that the state government had issued instructions to spend fifteen percent of allotments in all departmental schemes for development of the members of the minority communities.

 

The minister alleged that America is playing a disastrous role in the name of combating the Islamic terrorism. He urged all to opt for secularism as the way out for social problems. If anywhere the minorities suffer the majorities also have to suffer from the threat of insecurity, he opined.

 

Cooch Behar DM Mr Rajesh Kumar Sinha delivered the welcome address. State forest minister Mr Ananta Roy, Ms Mahfuja Khatun (MLA), Md Tamser Ali (MLA), DPSC chairman Md Nuruddin Mian and TDM Mr MK Seth too spoke on the occasion.

 

Dr Abdus Sattar said there is a plan to add a vocational training institute at the same site after launching of the new hostel. There are ten Muslim hostels running in this state and four were added recently. If needed the government will set up more hostels and Madrasas to extend the scope of education to the Muslim students, the minister declared. []