Encourage setting up of public-pvt minority edu institutions

Chennai,Feb11 (PTI) Union Minister for Water Resources andMinority Affairs Salman Khurshid today called for setting upof public-private minority educational institutions,sayingsuch efforts should be encouraged.

"Minority institutions may have land, but they still haveto depend on the government for other help and assistance,"he said at the silver jubilee celebrations of B S Abdur RahmanUniversity, near here.

Khurshid, who also inaugurated a conference ''FutureChallenges and Opportunities for minority Higher Educationalinstitutions in India in the present Global Scenario,'' saidpublic-private minority institutions have to be differentfrom the regular minority institutions.

Referring to the Supreme Court verdict limiting 50 per centreservation for minority students of that particularcommunity in minority run institutions, he said it had to be"re-examined" as there were "different minorities anddifferent needs."

He said what works for one minority may not work for theother as communities such as Parsis and Christians were"relatively better-off" than Muslims.

Addressing an audience, predominantly from the Muslimcommunity, he said a national grid should be created amongMuslim minority institutions so that there was increasedinteraction for ensuring greater access, variety and exposure.

The greatest enemy of Muslim Renaissance of the 21stcentury was not from "dark and divisive forces but cynicismof our own people," he said.

"What keeps the majority and minority together should beencouraged and what keeps them apart should be rejected," hesaid.

In a lighter vein, quoting an official, he said he wasselected as Water resources Minister as he hailed from UttarPradesh which was not involved in any inter-state waterdisputes.