'Govt to examine if minorities benefiting from schemes'

The government will examine whether minorities are benefiting from various programmes being run for them, new Minority Affairs Minister K Rehman Khan said on Monday.

"The government has been receiving complaints that the benefits of various programmes designed for the minority community was not reaching grassroot levels. The time has come to review the programmes," Khan told reporters here after taking over the charge of the Ministry along with Ninong Ering, the minister of State in the Minority Affairs Ministry.

The veteran Parliamentarian from Karnataka, who has served as Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, said that he would try to address issues which people from all minority communities feel have not been taken up so far.

Asked about Muslim youths being "victimised" by the police in terror cases, he said it is a sensitive issue and the matter is related to the home ministry but "I feel no innocent person should be victimised."

About his priorities, Khan said efforts will be to get measures like Prevention of Communal Violence Bill and Waqf Amendment Bill, passed by Parliament.

"The Waqf Amendment Bill was passed by Lok Sabha but was referred to Select Committee by Rajya Sabha. The committee has given its suggestions and our ministry has incorporated them. I hope that Winter Session would be productive and we would be able to get these bills passed," he said.

Khan is in favour of creating a consensus among Indian Muslims on the issue establishing an institution in India on the lines of 'Tabung Haji', the subsidy-free Haj Pilgrim Management Institution of Malaysia.

"The ministry would motivate people from the minority community to come forward and join hands for the uplift of the community by establishing infrastructure like universities and other institutions," he said.

Khan said that his ministry would be coordinating with 15 other ministries for successful implementation of the prime minister's 15-point directive for the benefit if the minorities.

The ministry would also examine if public-private partnership model in development of infrastructure was viable, Khan said.

Asked about some states like Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir not having State Minority Commissions, he said he would impress upon the Chief Ministers for setting up such a commission at the earliest.