SAD condemns NDA govt decision to end scholarships for minority students

Punjabenews: The Shiromani Akali Dal today condemned the NDA government’s decision to end minority scholarships for PhD as well as pre-matric students and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revive the schemes immediately.

In a statement here, SAD senior leader Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema said the NDA government‘s decision to end the Maulana Azad National Fellowship scheme for PhD and MPhil students which gave eligible candidates a sum of Rs.32,000 to Rs.35,000 per month to pursue their doctorate thesis, was a blow to efforts to raise the education standards of minorities. He said similarly the end of the pre-matric scholarship scheme, which was aimed at raising the education levels at the preliminary stage of school education, had also hurt minority interests. “So also has the discontinuation of the Padho Pardesh scheme for minorities which offered them an interest subsidy for loans taken for foreign education”.

  Urging the prime minister to review these anti- minority decisions, Dr Cheema said they were discriminatory in nature and against the spirit of the Constitution. The SAD leader also expressed shock at the manner in which the National Minority Commission had maintained a studious silence on this important issue. “The commission should understand that it is mandated by the Constitution to serve the interests of the minority communities and not any political party. It should accordingly demand revocation of this anti- minority decision immediately”, Dr Cheema added.