States Fail To Spend Urdu Funds: HRD

New Delhi, July 13 (UNI) Several states have failed to utilise funds given to them for hiring Urdu teachers and modernising Madarsas, the Human Resource Development Ministry reported today.

A statement by the Ministry said this was a finding of a Secretary-level review with representatives of 16 State governments which have a sizeable Urdu speaking population.

The review of utilisation of funds under the Xth Five Year Plan focused on two Central government schemes: Appointment of Urdu Teachers and Modernisation of Madarsas.

Both schemes figure among Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 15 Point Programme for Minorities' Welfare.

The Ministry said the expenditure during tenth Five Year Plan on the Madarsa Modernisation schemes was Rs 1.42 crore. The current year outlay for the Scheme is Rs 55 crore.

The states which received ''substantial funds'' include Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra, Asom, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and West Bengal, the Ministry said.

''Though substantial funds... have been released to various State governments... for appointment of Urdu teachers, these were not fully utilised by some of the States and unspent balances are lying with several of them,'' the Ministry said.

''Similar is the case with funds released under Madarsa Education Programme,'' the Ministry statement said.

An offshoot of the review was to remove the cap of assistance of Rs 50,000 per teacher per annum so that the entire salary amount can be reimbursed and provide assistance to any area-- even smaller than a block-- with at least 25 per cent Urdu speakers.

The State governments were also urged to make a survey of Urdu speaking population and availability of schools and come up with concrete proposals for assistance, the statement said.

Participants decided to cover more Madarsas for girls under the modernisation scheme and States were requested to give widest possible publicity to benefits for Madarsas volunteering to introduce modern subjects.

These include reimbursing expenditure on salaries of two teachers and one time assistance for book banks and teaching aids.

The States were asked to send 2007-08 proposals based on ''a proper assessment of Urdu speaking population'' within a fortnight.

UNI