KOZHIKODE: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who convened a meeting of various Muslim organisations here on Saturday, has sought to allay fears regarding reservation of seats for the community in the higher education sector.
Pinarayi said there should be no concern over reports that the number of higher education seats was dwindling in Malabar region. The government will take appropriate steps and also ensure that reservation norms are followed, he said.The Chief Minister said the government was examining the proposal to increase funds allocated to Wakf boards.
Stating that the Centre was strictly implementing the Juvenile Justice Act, Pinarayi said complaints in the wake of its implementation in the state would be examined.“Steps will be taken to legally protect institutions that function under the JJ Act in the state,” Pinarayi assured the delegation of Muslim leaders.
Elaborating the various welfare measures undertaken by the government for the minorities, Pinarayi said `91 crore has been earmarked for development of the minority communities. The allocation for the special housing scheme for widows and divorcees has been increased from `41 crore to `58 crore. An additional fund of `15 crore has been earmarked for minority-centric block development.
In addition to starting 14 new training centres for the members of the Muslim community, the government has also taken steps to allocate `50,000 each to 1,000 families from the minority communities for repair of their houses.
A commission has been set up to identify the alienated property of Wakf boards. A total of `39.41 crore has been earmarked for the welfare of madrassa teachers and `2 crore has been set apart for a minority research centre. Administrative sanction has been accorded to start pre-marital counselling centres, he said.