AP Govt Prioritising Minority Welfare, Says Naseer Ahmed
Naseer Ahmed said Rs.7 crore has been granted to the Urdu Academy and Rs.2.85 crore for Urdu Ghar and Shadi Khanas.
Vijayawada: Guntur East MLA Naseer Ahmed on Wednesday said the three-party alliance government in AP is ensuring comprehensive welfare and development of minorities, particularly Muslims, through focused policies and sustained funding.
Addressing the media at NTR Bhavan, he said, “Within the last 20 months of governance, the government has delivered on both welfare and development. A sum of Rs.45 crore was released on March 17 as honorarium for nearly 10,000 Imams and Muezzins, taking the total allocations so far to Rs.180 crore, through three phases.”
“The Rs.6,090 crore earmarked in the 2026–27 Budget further reflects the government’s commitment,” he said, adding that Rs.1.5 crore has been sanctioned for iftar arrangements during Ramzan.
Highlighting corrective steps, Ahmed alleged that during the rule of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, several Waqf properties had been encroached upon. Around 1,500 properties have now been surveyed and will soon be digitised. Steps are also under way to build a Haj House in Amaravati, while the facilities in Kadapa and Vijayawada will be completed soon, he said.
The MLA said Rs.7 crore has been granted to the Urdu Academy and Rs.2.85 crore for Urdu Ghar and Shadi Khanas. Some Rs.20 crore has been released under the A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Overseas Scholarship scheme, which had earlier been discontinued. This year, 347 Haj pilgrims from the state would receive Rs.1 lakh assistance each.
On welfare, the MLA said Rs.3,511 crore was being spent annually under NTR Bharosa pensions benefiting 4.38 lakh Muslims. Post-matric scholarships worth Rs.264 crore have supported 19,215 students, while Rs.158 crore has been allocated for free LPG cylinders to 6.2 lakh minority families.
