Even if diatribes against alleged ominous effects of Brahamanical Hinduism and verbal compassions to its worst victims or Hindu depressed castes never die down, governmental benefits are rendered to a particular minority community or the Muslims only. And other minority communities are left in the lurch. This account is enough to shock any sane and enlightened individual but this has also been the reality in India ever since August 15, 1947 and the trend is gaining strength with each day it passes. UPA government, known to hanker after Muslim support to retain its own suzerainty, has created a new saga through introduction of a new project to increase the rate of literacy among Muslims. The project was inaugurated by Mallipudi Raju Pallam Mangapati, Hon’ble Minister for Human Resources Development, Government of India on January 5, 2014 and it is worth Rs. 600 crores. The project has been named as Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Baligan and its mission is to make a crore of Muslim adolescents (of age 15 and above) literate. Apart from this, the project also includes schemes to make two-and-half lakh Muslim elders literate and impart developed technical knowledge among 3 lakh Muslims to better their lives.
On the word of officials in the Union Ministry, 1000 adult education centers will also be set up only for Muslim women and only village panchayats where the Muslim population exceeds 5, 000 will have this facility. The project of Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Baligan will focus on 61 Muslim-concentrated “Sakshar Bharat” districts across 11 states of India. It has been learnt, first stage of the project will be completed by September, 2014. When journalists asked the concerned officials of the need of this project at the annual meeting of the National Monitoring Committee for Minorities Education on January 5, it was said that it had been designed to better each commoner in the country.
In accordance with members of the National Monitoring Committee for Minorities’ Education (NMCME), the rate of registering Muslim children in educational sector is rising high. While the rate of registration of Muslim children in primary education was 9.4% (on a national scale), it turned into 14.25% in 2012-2013. Such type of surge has been found in the realm of secondary education as well; it has become 12.1% from 7.2% within a few years. The Union Government has commenced Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Baligan project to fill up the outstanding deficit fast.
Will this novel approach bring desired success? Members of NMCME are quite optimistic whereas critics are being found to be skeptical and term it as both frivolous and politics of compulsion and also ugliest representation of the lust to grab minority votes. They do opine that several such measures were adopted in the past and all these have failed miserably thanks to deficiency in response from the Muslim society. But, albeit there were failures, budgets were devoured and as per security experts, currency was channelized for belligerent activities altogether. These experts apprehend its repetition at this time too. Reprisals from other minority communities, thanks to the government’s partisanship, as well as sections of the majority community can’t also be ruled out.
It is to be noted, Union Human Resources Development Ministry has already asked the government of Uttar Pradesh for readmission of students affected by Muzaffarnagar riots in the state. But current developments portray that this facility is only for Muslim children at the primary level. The situation is no different in Bengal where Hindu victims in any communal riot are left high and dry, let alone creating special opportunities for Hindu students.