The Municipal Administration and Minority Affairs Minister Qamurul Islam has said that the State budget for 2015-16 presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday was a bonanza to the minority communities and the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.
Addressing the media in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Mr. Qamurul said that allocation for the Minority Welfare department has been scaled up to Rs. 1,000 crore, which and the Chief Minister’s Minority Development Programme would be a real boon to members of the minority communities.
Mr. Qamurul said that the government had also extended the Vidyasiri scheme from the Backward Classes Development Department to the Minorities Welfare Department.
He said the budget had also proposed to extend financial assistance of Rs. 10,000 to students pursuing Engineering and Medical courses. The budget has sanctioned four Morarji Desai Residential Schools, two Morarji Desai PU Colleges, five post-metric hostels and two model residential schools for the minorities this year. The government also proposed to extend the Arivu Sala Yojana to students selected through COMED-K. Besides this, e-learning facility would be provided in 350 Urdu schools and 65 residential schools and colleges under learning and equipment scheme.
The Chief Minister had also stood by the assurance given to the people of Hyderabad-Karnataka region by sanctioning Rs. 1,000 crore in the budget for Hyderabada Karnataka Rural Development Board and handing over construction of the Kalaburagi airport to the Airport Authority of India. The Kalaburagi City Corporation had also been sanctioned an additional Rs. 50 crore for development activities.
