Source : The Hindu Date : 23.06.2009
More publicity to schemes will help in women’s empowerment’
Staff Correspondent
| Minority woman urges official to explain about programmes available |
SEEKING ENLIGHTENMENT: A woman appealing to Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation Chairman N.B. Abubakar to highlight facilities available to minorities at a function in Hassan on Monday.
HASSAN: At a public grievances redressal meeting presided over by Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation chairman N.B. Abubakar here on Monday, a woman from a minority community appealed to Mr. Abubakar to explain about schemes that were available for them. As most of the women among the minorities were illiterate, this would help in their empowerment, she said.
Moved by this appeal, Mr. Abubakar told the woman that the corporation had allotted Rs. 70 lakh for each district and Rs. 1.6 crore at the cluster level (two or three districts) for the development of minorities. For constructing houses, minorities would get Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000 each.
Mr. Abubakar said that loan up to Rs. 1.5 lakh would be given to 800 women self-help groups in every district. Each self-help group should have a minimum of 15 members. For the first 300 women self-help groups, a subsidy of 25 per cent would be given. For the remaining 500 groups, there would be no subsidy. Each member would be given Rs. 10,000 loan.
He said that the corporation had appointed five directors and each director was in charge of five districts. The directors would tour the district once in two months. If there was any grievance, the directors could be contacted. The woman said she was satisfied by the reply.
A villager from Bharathahalli in Alur taluk said that the Government had allotted three gunta land for minorities burial ground in the village. As the population had grown, this burial ground had become small to handle the demand. He appealed to the Government to allot 1.5 acre gomala land that is available in the village for this purpose. Mr. Abubakar said he would take up the matter with the Government.
A resident in Hunasinakere slum in Hassan said there was a mosque located in a narrow lane and it needed more space so that people could move freely. He said there is land available near the mosque that is under the Slum Clearance Board. This land may be allotted to the mosque, he said.
Shivakumar, secretary of a committee of the BJP, said that the Minority Development Corporation had fixed minimum qualification for getting driving licence as 8th standard. However, the Government had fixed 7th standard as minimum qualification. But the RTO insists SSLC as minimum qualification. He appealed to the corporation to take up the matter with the Government seeking a uniform policy.
Rs. 66.20 crore
Mr. Abubakar said that the State Government had set aside Rs. 66.20 crore for the development of minorities in the State in its 2009-10 Budget. Of this, Rs. 49.20 crore had been allotted to the Karnataka State Minorities Development Corporation and another Rs. 17 crore for special development programmes for minorities.
He told presspersons that the corporation had envisaged various development programmes to cover 31,100 beneficiaries in the State. Under a scheme to help minorities become self-reliant, Rs. 6 crore would be released to 4,000 beneficiaries. Under the Arivu scheme, Rs. 14 crore would be disbursed to 9,300 beneficiaries, under the Shrama-Shakti scheme, Rs. 7.20 crore would be released to 4,800 beneficiaries, under the micro-financing (with subsidy) scheme, 12,000 beneficiaries are being given Rs. 12 crore and under the Ganga Kalyana Yojana, 1,000 beneficiaries are being given Rs. 10 crore.
Mr. Abubakar said that under the special development programme, Rs. 17 crore would be given to construct houses and purchase sites. Under the Arivu loan scheme, education loan would be given to students who are pursuing KAS, IAS and other competitive examinations. He said that through the National Minorities Development Corporation, funds would be obtained for the development of minorities in the State.
Mr. Abubakar said that Rs. 160 crore loan taken by minorities between 1986 and 2008 was due.
There would be no loan waiver, he said and appealed to beneficiaries to repay the loan. The corporation had formed a special recovery team to recover the loans, he said.
Mr. Abubakar said that recovery of loan was good in Udupi and Mangalore districts. The number of beneficiaries was more in Belgaum, Bangalore Rural and Bangalore Urban districts.
There is a proposal to set up corporation offices in districts where there was no office. He said that beneficiaries would be identified from the village level and that in every taluk, three-member non-governmental agencies would be appointed.
Mr. Abubakar said that in Hassan district, the corporation had distributed Rs. 1.31 crore loan to 800 beneficiaries under various schemes for 2009-10.
Hassan district manager of the corporation T. Jagannath was present.
