GUWAHATI, July 5 � The State Government on Sunday announced a welfare fund for the imams or religious heads in the name of Islamic scholar Ahmed Ali with a corpus fund of Rs 10 crore. The government is also contemplating instituting an award after the scholar.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi stated that his government was committed towards ensuring that each and every religious community in the State marched ahead on the road of development.
Speaking at the open session of the State level convention organised by the All Assam Imam Council at Sarusajai Indoor Stadium, Gogoi said that the government has initiated all possible measures for the socio-economic uplift of religious minorities in the State. �Our government has taken up a slew of schemes aimed at ameliorating the economic lot of religious minorities in the past nine years. We will continue to adopt more schemes in the days ahead,� he said addressing a huge gathering of imams from different parts of the State.
Gogoi assured that the government would safeguard the genuine citizens and ensure that they are not subjected to harassment in the name of detection of foreigners.
Referring to the Sachar Commission report, Gogoi said his government would give more thrust to education especially in char areas. �Our government has accorded top priority to education without which no community or society can forge ahead. We will focus more in the char areas by spreading the light of knowledge,� he said.
He informed that Assam has availed funds to the tune of Rs 700 crore for 13 districts for the uplift of the religious minorities.
It needs to be mentioned here that the State Government has announced Rs 5 lakh each as grant for the madrassas solely dependent on donation.
He also assured that the government would take up the matter of eviction of encroachers from the properties of Wakf Board in right earnest. He said an expert committee would be formed to examine the matter.
