Centre accused of partiality in implementing minority schemes

New Delhi: A meeting called to seek views from states on minority welfare on Thursday saw the NDA-ruled Bihar attacking the Centre for "partiality" in implementation of schemes and asking it to confine itself to their monitoring.

Bihar Minority Affairs Minister Shahid Ali Khan alleged that while the Centre rejected the state government's proposal to construct Madrasas Bhavans in six of the seven minority concentrated districts (MCDs) of the state, it sanctioned the same in Kishanganj represented by a Congress MP.

Khan also said that the Centre should leave it to the states to decide on the schemes and keep itself confined to only monitoring their implementation.

"State governments should be given freedom to decide their schemes. But you sanction schemes for the state sitting here," he complained.

Khan claimed that Bihar has not got any money from the National Minority Development and Finance Corporation as the Centre was seeking a guarantee.

"There was an agreement between us that the interest for loans by NMDFC will be waived. Two years have passed but nothing happened," he said.

He also said that the financial assistance under the pre-matric scholarship scheme should be given in cash and not through cheques as there are difficulties in opening bank accounts.

He demanded "maximum possible" recruitments of minorities in police jobs and that such provisions advocated in the Prime Minsiter's 15-point programme be made mandatory.

A number of representatives from the states demanded that the criteria of 25 per cent minority population for delcaring a district minority concentrated should be brought down to 15 per cent.