MUMBAI: The BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra on Thursday took a slew of steps to woo the Muslim minority and backward communities ahead of the assembly polls, expected to be held next month.
In a cabinet meeting chaired by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday, the government decided to increase the salary of madrasa teachers and also the working capital of the Maulana Azad Financial Corporation.
Primary teachers with D Ed degree will see their monthly pay almost triple to Rs 16,000 from Rs 6,000 at present, while the monthly payout of secondary school teachers with BEd will increase from Rs 8,000 to Rs 18,000.
Under Zakir Hussain Madrasa modernization scheme, the state government asked Madrasas to provide modern education along with the religious studies. Science, mathematics, sociology, English, Marathi, Hindi, and Urdu are proposed to be taught in madrasas.
The proposal to increase the working capital of the Maulana Azad Financial Corporation from Rs 600 crore to Rs 1,000 crore was tabled by the state minority department. The cooperation will use this money to lend to those from the minority community for various purposes.
The Eknath Shinde-led cabinet also passed the proposal to set up welfare cooperative boards for several communities. The government increased the investment capital for tribal welfare boards.The state government announced the setting up co-operative boards for Shimpi, Gavali, Lad Shakiya-Wani, Lohar, and Nam Panth community boards. Each cooperative board will be given Rs 50 crore as investment capital to carry out various social and community activities.
In another major decision, the the Maharashtra cabinet decided to request the Union government to increase the income limit to qualify for ‘non-creamy layer’ to Rs 15 lakh per year from Rs 8 lakh at present.
A non-creamy layer certificate, which means the family income of a person is below the prescribed limit, is needed to avail of reservation benefits in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.
State SC panel to get constitutional status
A draft ordinance to accord a constitutional status to the Maharashtra State Scheduled Caste Commission was also approved in the cabinet meeting, said a statement from the office of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The ordinance will be tabled in the next session of the legislature; 27 posts were approved for the commission