Let the fireworks begin

 

 

Call it Muslim appeasement or the real affirmative action. Rural Minority Quota is the Centre’s latest offering in the series of cash rich schemes for the Muslims.

In a move that may trigger off a controversy during the budget session of Parliament, the Union Rural Development Ministry has initiated a 'minority quota' in its three schemes : Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) and Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY). Over 2.30 lakh houses will be built for the BPL (below poverty line) Muslims in the current financial year under IAY. Rs 581.20 crores have been earmarked for the scheme while another Rs 290.39 crores have been allocated under the SGRY. Under SGSY, 1.63 lakh minority community members would be helped in creating self-employment.

Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told TSI, “State governments would implement the projects on the basis of concentration of the minorities in the districts. There certainly would be further fund allocation in the coming budget.”

“Allocations and targets have been set on the basis of the percentage of the minority population in each state as derived from the 2001 Census figures,” said the Minister. The state governments have been advised to speed up utilisation of these funds as the coming budget would accordingly allocate further funds.

West Bengal having the highest Muslim population, bags Rs 127.40 crores under the IAY to construct houses for 50,421 BPL minority families, followed by Uttar Pradesh Rs 119.38 crores for 47,247 families, Bihar Rs 105.39 crores for 41,712 families and Assam Rs 89.15 crores for 35,283 families. For self-employment too, West Bengal gets the highest target of 35,827 persons, followed by Uttar Pradesh 33,616 and Bihar 29,678. In case of SGRY, UP gets top quota of Rs 56.50 crores for minorities, followed by Bihar Rs 29.68 crores, Maharashtra Rs 25.7 crores, Assam Rs 25.39 crores, West Bengal Rs 15.66 crores and Rajasthan Rs 12.54 crores.

a bill to ban criminals from entering politics may be introduced

Another move that may kick off a row is possible introduction of a bill to ban criminals entering politics. This bill would seek a ban on criminals charge-sheeted for crimes punishable with five or more years jail term. In its tearing hurry to turn this into law for use in the U.P. assembly elections, the law ministry has chosen an unusual route to send the draft bill to the parliamentary standing committee for vetting even before it is introduced in either house of parliament.

The pretext is that the bill has been hurried up to meet the repeated recommendations of the Election Commission to eliminate hardened criminals from contesting elections. It seeks to debar, from the time charges are framed by the court, those involved in the cases of terrorism, anti-national activities and organised crimes under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, election-related offences, murders, rape, drug and human trafficking and other heinous crimes that involve punishment of five years or more.

The present law does not prevent even those facing a score of such cases from contesting the elections as only those are debarred who have been convicted for more than two years. The proposed law would come in handy for the EC to ban criminals from entering electoral fray. It's always better late than never.