Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday granted Rs 3 crore for setting up a Wakf Development Fund for undertaking maintenance works in mosques, dargahs and other Wakf institutions. The Chief Minister also directed the authorities that they can collect funds from donors to carry out maintenance works of the above places of worship.
Already, the CM has hiked the pension for ulemas to Rs 1,000 and has increased the number of beneficiaries to 2,600. Besides, to cope with the fiscal crunch in the Wakf Board, she had increased the government grant to `1 crore. Apart from these, she had granted Rs 3 crore as special assistance to pay the retirement benefits to pensioners and increased the grant to Hajj pilgrimage to Rs 20 lakh, an official release here said.
The Chief Minister also allocated Rs 2.22 crore for expansion of a girls school belonging to Kallar community at Chekkanoorani in Madurai district. This will be helpful to girl students studying in the existing school there. The funds will be utilised for constructing classrooms and laboratory, buying sports equipment, office furniture etc.,
Already, the CM had, with a view to encouraging students belonging to Piramalai Kallar community to continue their studies, announced that the primary schools for Kallar reclamation in Perumalpatti in Madurai district, Karuvelnaickenpatti and P Meenakshipuram in Theni district would be upgraded as middle schools. Similarly, the middle schools at Karadikkal and Muthupatti in Madurai district, Siddhargal Natham in Dindigul district would be upgraded as high schools. The high schools at Markaiyankottai and Muthanampatti in Theni district, Chennamanaickenpatti in Dindigul district would be upgraded as higher secondary schools.
There are 285 Kallar Reclamation Schools including 24 higher secondary schools, 25 high schools and 25 middle schools which accommodate 37,556 students. These schools are functioning for the students of Piramalai Kallar community in Madurai, Theni and Dindigul districts.