Asaduddin Owaisi terms UP madrassas' survey as mini-NRC, says move directed at harassing Muslims

New Delhi: A day after Uttar Pradesh government ordered a survey of unrecognised madrassas in the state, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday termed the exercise as a mini-NRC and said that the move was directed at harassing Muslims."Madrassas are as per Article 30 then why UP government has ordered the survey? It's not a survey but a mini-NRC. Some madrassas are under UP madrassa board. Government can't interfere with our rights under Article 30. They want to harass Muslims," said Owaisi.The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday ordered a survey of unrecognised madrassas in the state to gather information about number of teachers, curriculum, and basic facilities available there, among others.Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad Ansari said the state government will conduct the survey in accordance with the requirement of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in connection with the availability of basic facilities to the students in madrassas."The survey will begin soon," the minister said on Wednesday.During the survey, details such as name of madrassa and the institution operating it, whether it is running in a private or rented building, number of students studying there, and information regarding facilities of drinking water, toilet, furniture and electricity supply will be collected, Ansari said.Information regarding number of teachers in the madrassa, its curriculum, source of income and its affiliation with any non-government organisation (NGO) will also be gathered, he said.To a question whether the state government would start the process of recognising new madrassas after this survey, the minister said that at present, the government's aim is to collect information only about unrecognized madrassas.It is noteworthy that at present there are a total of 16,461 madrassas in Uttar Pradesh, out of which 560 are given government grants. New madrassas have not been included in the grant list for the last six years in the state.Meanwhile, Diwan Saheb Zaman, general secretary of Teachers Association Madaris Arabiya, welcomed these decisions of the state government and said they would benefit madrassa teachers and non-teaching staff.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.