Minority community members managing educational institutions and places of worship discussed problems confronting them due to disturbances created by certain sections of society with the Chairman of Tamil Nadu State Minorities Rev. Fr. M. Prakash on Friday.
Fr. Prakash, District Collector S. Prabakar and other senior officials took note of the representations made by members of the minority communities.
The petitioners were given assurance that their problems would be rectified with the help of law-enforcing machinery.
Pilgrimages
Earlier, initiating the discussion, Fr. Prakash lauded the State Government for enlarging benefits to Muslims and Christians for Haj and Israel pilgrimages, and listed various other benefits provided by the Central and State governments under their schemes to minorities.
Ten out of 500 pilgrims to Jerusalem were from Erode, and each of Haj pilgrims was given Rs. 20,000. The number of pilgrims has been increased from 3,050 to 4,090.
There were now 13,464 members in Ulema Welfare Board of whom 1,690 have received benefits amounting to Rs. 77.18 lakh under various schemes.
Scholarships
As regards education, minority students were being facilitated to pursue higher education in Government and Government aided institutions through scholarships. During 2013-14, 4.06 lakh students belonging to minority communities had received educational assistance amounting to Rs. 61.95 crore.
Hostels for minority students were being run in Tiruchi, Dindigul, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Velur, Krishnagiri, Chennai, Kanyakumari and Thanjavur, he said, and added that the Tamil Nadu Minorities Economic Development Corporation Limited had forwarded loans to 3,649 beneficiaries under self-help group scheme to the tune of Rs. 9.06 crore during the same period.
Fr. Prakash gave away sewing machines and iron boxes to beneficiaries on the occasion.
Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission Members S. Syed Kamil Sahib and Johny Tom Varghese, the District Collector, Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Officer P. Menaka, and Revenue Divisional Officer Narmada Devi were present.
Petitioners were given assurance that their problems will be rectified
with the help of law-enforcing machinery
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