Aaghaz Adopts Unique Child
Few days back, Aaghaz came across case of an unique girl - she is studying at Karamat Public School in Class III (now). She is being raised by her maternal grandparents(in Nishatganj locality); her father dumped her and mother as soon as this girl child was born. But this unique child raised under shabby conditions by her mother (who due to lack of education - can barely earn few hundreds of rupees per month) - has been coming first in her school throughout, and when Aaghaz team met her - our team was amazed to see this bright child (who our members believe will Inshallah rise to become an Doctor or a teacher or so). She not only quickly replied to the queries generated by our team; further she had immense knowledge of what is going around the world. Aaghaz survey members quickly adopted this child so that she continues with her education. The fee for this child is Rs. 300/- per month - but initially the child has to deposit Rs. 1,150/- for the admission fee.
Aaghaz members have been busy in surveying the cases of over 150 students now in the older areas of Lucknow; the results of the same survey findings would be available in the next week. We thank all our members who have contributed Aaghaz with their time and money to carry on this cause.
posted by Aaghaz Foundation @ 10:47 AM
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Reproduced here is an article which appeared in an Englishh daily in India recently.
NEW DELHI, April 17: Discriminated against and pushed to the sidelines, the Muslim community in India is at the bottom of the heap when it comes to benefits from Government-run welfare schemes, access to education,
employment, even the system of credit, including bank loans.
This is the disturbing conclusion emerging from the initial findings of the Prime Minister's High Level Committee, headed by Justice (retd) Rajinder
Sachar, looking into the "social, economic and education status of the Muslim community in the country." The final report of the committee is expected to be submitted in June this year.
Since August last year, the committee has collected data after visiting several states, holding talks with government departments in Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, NGOs and Muslim organisations.
* 94.9 per cent of Muslims in Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in rural areas do not receive free foodgrains.
* While only 3.2 per cent of Muslims get subsidised loans, just 1.9 per cent of the community benefit from the Antyodaya Anna Yojana Scheme, a programme
meant to prevent starvation among the poorest of poor by providing food grains at a subsidised rate.
* 60.2 per cent of Muslims do not have any land in rural areas. National average: 43%
* Just 2.1 per cent of Muslim farmers have tractors. With 15,25,000 tractors, India ranks No.4 after US, Japan and Italy
* A mere 1 per cent own handpumps.
* On the educational front, the picture is equally dismal: 54.6 per cent Muslims in villages and 60 per cent in urban areas have never attended schools. National average: 40.8 per cent in rural areas and 19.9 per cent in urban areas.
* Only 0.8 per cent of Muslims in rural areas are graduates.
* Although in urban areas, nearly 40 per cent of the Muslims now receive modern education, only 3.1 per cent of the community in urban areas are graduates. Just 1.2 per cent are post-graduates.
The committee also found shocking instances of discrimination against the community. These include cases of Muslims not getting loans from even
nationalised banks and finding it difficult to sell or buy property.
"There is an implicit diktat that loans should not be given in specific areas dominated by Muslims because of the high probability of default", the committee observed after its visit to Rajasthan between August 22 and 24
last year. The committee also found inadequate number of government schools in the Muslim-dominated areas contributing to the low number of Muslim boys and
girls attending the schools.
We need more organizations like Aaghaz Foundation to carry on the cause; because there is lot to be done in this sector. People should come forward from all the cities of India and replicate the model of Aaghaz Foundation.
From: Ahmedullah Khan, Hyderabad
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