VIJAYAWADA: The Assembly on Wednesday passed the first-of-its-kind legislation, the Andhra Pradesh Minorities Component (Outlay, Allocation and Utilization of Financial Resources) Bill, 2022.
Deputy Chief Minister Amzath Basha said this legislation was aimed at the welfare and development of minorities. “After this law comes into force, the state government shall, by a notification, constitute a council under the chief minister. It will be known as the State Council for Development of Minorities, which can exercise the powers conferred on it and perform the functions assigned to it under the act.”
The assembly, currently in its budget session, also passed the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill, 2022. Deputy CM Basha, on behalf of tourism minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa, tabled this bill and said it was intended to make Urdu the second official language in all the districts. He thanked the CM for recognizing the prominence of the Urdu Language.
The Deputy CM also tabled the Andhra Pradesh Minorities Component Outlay, Allocation and Utilization of Financial Resources Bill, 2022 and said the bill is intended to ensure security and social status to the Minorities and ensure their growth. “Andhra Pradesh is the first state to implement such an act for Minorities,” he stressed.
The Deputy CM said that this bill is aimed to ensure accelerated development of the minority population with emphasis on achieving equality for them, vis-à-vis others, in the next ten years. It would focus on economic, educational and human development along with ensuring them security and social dignity.
He stated the new law will promote equity among minority population, by earmarking for them a portion of funds — in proportion to the population of minorities in the state — out of the total outlay for CSS and SDP schemes of Andhra Pradesh.
Basha said the AP government is committed to the development of the minorities in the state. To ensure the social, economic and educational development of the minorities and make the minority community a part of the overall growth of the state, the government has taken effective steps by providing 4 per cent reservations to the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes among the Muslims in education and employment. This is apart from taking up various welfare activities exclusively for them.
To ensure scrupulous implementation of the Minorities Component, the government has decided to enact the Minorities Component Bill on the lines of the Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (Planning, Allocation and Utilization of Financial Resources) Act, 2013 (Andhra Pradesh Act no. 1 of 2013), the deputy CM said.
He added that the total recurring and non-recurring funds are estimated to be Rs 3661.84 crore to be provided in the form of a grant for the year.
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