Telangana’s minorities welfare department has distributed overseas scholarship cheques, livelihood equipment and training certificates while outlining a record ₹3,768 crore allocation for minority development, with education and employment identified as the main delivery priorities.
At an event in Telangana, cheques of ₹20 lakh each under the Chief Minister’s Overseas Scholarship were handed over to the parents of selected students. Mopeds were distributed to beneficiaries from the Fakir community, while women received sewing machines under the Indiramma Minority Mahila Shakti scheme.
The department also distributed cheques of ₹50,000 each under the Minority Mahila Yojana. Certificates were presented to candidates who had completed skill-development and employment-oriented training programmes conducted by the minorities welfare department.
Minorities welfare minister Mohammed Azharuddin said the government was focusing on education, skill development and employment to improve the socio-economic conditions of minority communities. He said the administration was committed to the social and economic development of minority residents, particularly those from economically and socially disadvantaged sections.
According to the minister, the department’s ₹3,768 crore budget allocation is the highest so far in Telangana. The assistance being provided includes mopeds, sewing machines, tools and equipment, scholarships and skill-development training, with the stated objective of creating income opportunities and promoting self-employment.
The education component is being delivered through the Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society, or TMREIS. Azharuddin said 205 institutions under the society were providing education from Classes 5 to 12 to minority students. The government was spending around ₹1.2 lakh per student annually, he said.
The minister also said that 23 centres of excellence were functioning under TMREIS to provide coaching for national and state-level competitive examinations. Students from the institutions were securing ranks in examinations including NEET, IIT-JEE, CLAT and CUET, according to his statement.
The programmes place education and livelihood assistance within the same welfare framework. Scholarships and residential schooling address access to education, while tools, vehicles and sewing machines are intended to support income generation and self-employment. The department’s delivery model therefore combines direct financial assistance with institutional education and skills training.
Azharuddin further announced that the government was taking steps to establish 10 residential degree colleges each for minority boys and girls in the first phase. The statement did not specify the locations, construction timelines, proposed intake or the funding arrangements for the new colleges.
The next phase of the programme will depend on the implementation of the announced residential degree colleges and the continued delivery of scholarships, training and livelihood support through the minorities welfare department and TMREIS.
