A Mewat Mahapanchayat held at Somka village in Rajasthan’s Deeg district on Monday called for steps to wean youths away from cybercrimes and promote education among children from the Meo Muslim community. The participants in the day-long convention laid emphasis on moving with the times.
Bharatpur-based Samriddh Bharat Abhiyan took the initiative to assemble elders of the Meo community, ulema, maulvis, and elected representatives to deliberate on issues affecting the growth of the Mewat region. The area which falls in northeastern Rajasthan, also spreads to neighbouring Haryana and has few livelihood opportunities.
The Abhiyan has launched efforts to establish regular communication with the young men who are drawn to cybercrime, and to connect these Meo youth with activities such as poultry farming, pisciculture, beekeeping, and skills development. The madrasa functionaries in the region have also helped youth through counselling.
Modern education
Maulana Mohammed Rashid of Meel Kherla Madrasa, who presided over the Mahapanchayat, said Meo children needed modern and employment-oriented education to join the mainstream of society. “The Meo Muslim community is facing infamy today because of the criminal activities of some misguided youth. We need to get rid of all evil practices and introduce reforms,” Mr. Rashid said.
Four resolutions were passed at the Mahapanchayat: to impose a ban on dowry in marriages, promote simple wedding ceremonies, open a university in the Mewat region, and to cooperate with law enforcement to prevent cybercrimes.
A call was made to raise funds for the university, and Samriddh Bharat Abhiyan’s director, Sita Ram Gupta, announced payment of ₹1 lakh to the fund.
Huge potential
Mr. Gupta said the Mewat region had huge potential for development because of its proximity to the national capital, where a market could be explored for products made by self-employment ventures. The modernisation of all madrasas with the installation of computers would also help in educational advancement, he said.
Mr. Gupta said youth were drawn to cybercrime because of rampant unemployment and a lack of opportunities to earn a livelihood in the region. The Abhiyan has since established a computer training centre at Kaman, where a large number of young people are attending regular classes, and is finding employment for them in the Jurehra industrial area of Bharatpur district.
Among others, Nuh MLA and former Harayana minister Aftab Ahmed, former pradhan of Kaman Panchayat Samiti Jalees Khan, sarpanches Nauman Khan and Rajmal Thekedar, and Braj-Mewat Jan Jagriti Abhiyan’s president M. Zubair Khan addressed the Mahapanchayat.
Published - October 30, 2024 05:30 am IST