Yogi govt stops grant to new madrassas in Uttar Pradesh
The decision to stop grant to madrassas is set to create political bickering. Opposition parties are set to tear into the state govt, accusing it of blocking aid to minority institutions in a bid to isolate the community and deprive it of common benefits. However, the Samajwadi Party government itself has history of minority appeasement.
New Delhi: Breaking from the tradition of giving financial aid to UP madrassas, Yogi Adityanath government has stopped grants for new madrassas in the state. The Yogi cabinet, in its Tuesday meet, adopted a proposal to exclude new madrassas from the grants list.
It is a decisive move to break form the past and sets a new pattern in the state government education policy. The practice of financial aid to madrassas was started by Akhilesh Yadav govt but with reversal of policy, new madrassas won’t get any monetary or logistical support from the government.
Uttar Pradesh has a total of 16,000 registered madrassas out of which more than 500 are government aided. In last Budget, the state govt allocated Rs 479 crore under the madrassa modernisation scheme. About 20 lakh students are registered in these madrassas.
The decision to stop grant to madrassas is set to create political bickering & ruckus. Opposition parties are set to tear into the state govt, accusing it of blocking aid to minority institutions in a bid to isolate the community and deprive it of common benefits. However, the Samajwadi Party government itself has a history of minority appeasement.
The policy of govt grant to madrassas was made during Akhilesh regime, however, it came under review during 1st tenure of Yogi government. And, yesterday, the government accepted proposal to stop grants to new madrassas in the state.
The decision to stop grants to new madrassas comes, just a week after National Anthem was mandatory in Muslim institutions. The new circular issued by UP Madrassa Education Board mandates that students as well as teachers in madrassas sing national anthem along with the morning prayers.
UP Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad said that this will fill the madrassa students’ heart with ‘patriotism’.
It may be noted that on lines of Uttar Pradesh, BJP governments in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh & Karnataka are also considering making National Anthem mandatory in madrassas.