File Photo ( TOI)

Patna: With eye on the forthcoming Lok Sabha poll, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Monday launched three more schemes for the welfare of minorities to woo back Muslims who largely drifted towards Lalu Prasad’s RJD after July 2017 when Nitish walked out of the grand alliance and realigned with the BJP to form a new government.

Muslims, as per 2011 census, have around 17% population in Bihar and they play a crucial role in deciding victory in at least nine parliamentary constituencies namely Kishanganj , Katihar, Araria, Purnia, Darbhanga , Sheohar, Sitamarhi, East Champaran and West Champaran. Muslims’ polling strength in these constituencies ranges from 12% to 60%. If they vote unitedly, they can also tilt the poll outcome in few more constituencies.

The three new schemes- which Nitish Kumar launched on Monday at a minority welfare department’s programme held at the CM secretariat's Samvad auditorium here—are the Bihar State Minority Residential School Scheme, Bihar State Madrasa Strengthening Scheme and the Bihar State Waqf Development Scheme.

“These are new schemes. But the state government has already earmarked fund for running these three schemes in the budget of current FY 2018-19. Besides these three, the state government has already been running 15 other schemes for the welfare and development of minorities in Bihar,” State’s minority welfare minister Khurshid alias Firoj Ahmad said in his speech. He said the state government’s schemes are besides the minority welfare schemes undertaken by the union government.

Recounting the steps taken by Nitish Kumar for welfare and progress of minorities, Ahmad also pointed out that the total budget of the minority welfare department in FY 2004-05 (before Nitish became CM for the first time) was just Rs 3.45 crore, whereas it has rose to Rs 373 crore in FY 2018-19.

Besides launching the three new schemes, Nitish also laid foundation stones for construction of a new sprawling building of the Anjuman Islamia Hall at Ashok Rajpath in Patna through remote control. The eight storeyed (basement, ground plus 6-storey) building would be constructed at an estimated expenditure of Rs 39.14 crore. The campus of the Anjuman Islamia Hall is spread in an area of 1.25 acre. The new building would cover around 32% of the total area. The total build-up area of the new building (totalling all floors) would be around 76615.5 square feet.

Ahmad said the state government had already allotted Rs 50 crore under the Bihar State Waqf Development Scheme, Rs 25 crore under the Bihar State Madrasa Strengthening Scheme and Rs 5 crore under the Bihar State Minority Residential School Scheme.

Though Christian, Sikh , Buddhist and Jain also come under minorities in Bihar, they have very minuscule population in the state. They altogether constitute only 0.4% of the state’s total population of 10.09 crore, as per 2011 census.

