Government launches Rs 600 crore scheme for educating adult Muslims

NEW DELHI: Ahead of Lok Sabha elections, the government today launched a new programme for educating adult Muslims, targeting over one crore of them.

The programme ' Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Balighan', launched by Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor, aims to impart functional literacy, vocational skill development and continuing education to one crore Muslim adults with an outlay of Rs 600 crore.

Besides, it promises to provide opportunities for upscaling basic education to around 2.5 lakh adults from the community and imparting livelihood skill training to around three lakh beneficiaries.

"410 Sakshar Bharat Districts will be covered with a financial outlay of Rs 600 crore during the current Plan Period," an official statement said.

In the statement, the government claimed that the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language is undertaking many activities to promote, develop and propagate the language in the country.

The affirmative interventions made under various schemes for promotion of education of the minorities has shown encouraging results, it said.

"Enrolment of Muslim children at primary level as percentage of total enrolment has increased from 9.4 per cent in 2006-07 to 14.2 per cent in 2012-13, and at the upper primary level, from 7.2 per cent to 12.1 per cent during the same period," it said.

"A more welcome feature of the development is that more Muslim girls are coming to schools," the statement added.