AP govt to promulgate ordinance for Muslim reservation: YSR

Hyderabad, Jun 9 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today said an ordinance would be promulgated within a month to provide five per cent reservation to Muslims in education and employment.

Participating in the distribution of computers to Deeni Madarsas (Urdu schools), organised by the state Urdu Academy here, Dr Reddy said the government would overcome all legal hurdles in a month for providing reservation to the Muslims as the issue was pending in the Supreme Court.

Stating that the government was committed to the welfare of Muslims, the Chief Minister said reservation in educational institutions would be provided to Muslim students from this academic year with the promulgation of an ordinance.

Announcing that 'Mid-day meal' scheme would be implemented in Deeni Madrasas and 'Muslim Welfare Day' will be organised on the occasion of Abul Kalam Azad's birthday on November 11 from this year, Dr Reddy said the issues of Muslim welfare, pending before the government, would be solved on the Welfare Day from village to city-level.

Alleging that the previous NDA and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) governments had considered the madrasas as 'ISI activity centres and communal centres', he said the Congress government had officially recognised them as service organisations working for the upliftment of poor students.

The government had allocated Rs 80 crore for providing scholarships to Muslim students during this year and constructed 12 minority pre-matric student hostels in the state, he added.

UNI