Syed Ali Mujtaba

The BJP government has come up with the claim that it has done many things for the welfare of Muslims after completing 100 days in office. 

 The Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju, held a press conference on September 24, 2024, listing the JP government’s achievements for the welfare of the Muslims in India.

First, Kiren Rijiju said the Ministry of Minority Affairs had organized Lok Samvardhan Parv, an event to showcase the schemes and programmes, the government has undertaken for the welfare of the minorities. What does the fair mean to the common man living on the margins?

Second, Kiren Rijiju says his ministry has planned funds for loans under the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC). This scheme has extended a credit of over Rs.1000 crores to over 2.5 lakh beneficiaries during 2024-25. The NMDFC has also signed MoUs with three banks in three States for the implementation of  NMDFC schemes. 

Again, the stakeholders in these states have to ascertain whether any such government claim has reached them or not. 

Kiren Rijiju, then says his ministry has sanctioned Rs. 21.00 corers to the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (JKLFC) for the financial year 2024-25. No one knows if this is an announcement or if it’s being implemented on the ground.

In the same vein, Kiren Rijiju says that his ministry has announced Rs. 10 crores to the Sindhu Infrastructure Development Corporation (SIDCO) in J&K and Ladakh. Is this fund for the people living in these areas or for the promotion of Sindhu i.e. Indus (Hindu) civilization?  

Kiren Rijiju talks at length about “Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan” (PM VIKAS) which is an integrated scheme aimed towards the socio-economic upliftment of minorities through various initiatives. This is an ongoing scheme from the past several years that has been integrated into one by clubbing five schemes of the previous Congress government.  This has nothing to do with the achievements of 100 days of Modi 3.0 rule.

i)                                                     Providing skill development training in courses covering both modern and traditional job roles.

ii)                                                   Organizing capacity-building workshops for artisans.

iii)                                               Preserving the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of minority communities.

iv)                                               Promoting minority women’s leadership and entrepreneurship.

v)                                                   Educational support to minority youth through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)

vi)                                               Addressing infrastructure needs in convergence with the Ministry’s PMJVK scheme.

Kiren Rijiju further says that the PM Vikas scheme will facilitate credit linkages by connecting beneficiaries with loan programs offered by the NMDFC. Beneficiaries would also be supported for market linkages through the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) to enhance their livelihood.

Such claims have to be vetted by an independent auditor to validate the claims made by the Minister of Minority Affairs. 

Then, Kiren Rijiju claimed that his Ministry had launched Haj Suvidha App an end-to-end digital solution for the Haj pilgrims. It provides the pilgrims access to training content, accommodation and flight details, baggage information, an emergency helpline (SOS), grievance redressal, feedback, language translation, and miscellaneous information and services related to the pilgrimage.

The Minister should be asked about the digital literacy rate of Muslims, and how many Muslims possess an Android mobile phone with internet connections. So for whom was such an app developed?   

Kiren Rijiju has also claimed that his ministry has released an ‘Operational Manual’ for conducting Urs at the Durgah of Khawaja Moin ud din Chishti at Ajmer. This manual codifies and standardizes the conduct of the Urs to ensure a satisfactory experience for the pilgrims during the period of Urs. The Minster also claims to develop a DKS Suvidha Mobile App and a Web portal for this purpose.

The Minister says this is for the welfare of the Indian Muslims. He must calculate the amount the pilgrims invest during their pilgrimage period and that goes to the state coffers. Can that be compared to the services offered by the government in the form of an ‘Operational Manual’ and mobile App and website? In real terms is it a Muslim welfare measure?

Kiren Rijiju further says that his ministry has ensured optimum utilization of funds initiated for use at the PM GatiShakti portal. This is to ensure zero overlapping of the schemes identified for the areas of implementation. He also says that a new PMJVK web portal is developed for overall digitized approval processes.

What the Minister is trying to say is that the digital format is the achievement of the BJP government for the welfare of Indian Muslims. He does not bother to talk about how many Muslims have benefited from the government’s initiative in 100 days in office. Since there is none to dissect the government’s claim that the media publishes as a gospel of truth.     

The circulation of such pulp fiction is a pithy commentary on the BJP government’s approach towards the welfare of Muslim citizens of India. Even though it’s a piece of public knowledge, that Muslims are nearly 20 crore or 15% of the Indian population.