Hyderabad: Home minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali said Telangana is an ideal welfare state where all sections of the community are getting equal benefits. In our state many schemes were launched for the benefit of minorities, he said.
Mr Ali was speaking at the award presentation ceremony of the Telangana State Urdu Academy on Monday.
The Academy presented the Moulana Abul Kalam Azad National Award, the Maqdoom Mohiuddin Award and Lifetime Achievement Award, in the fields of literature and promotion of Urdu language.
“Our government is spending `55,000 crore on various welfare schemes. Our Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is keen to promote the Urdu language in the state. He has appointed Urdu officers to entertain applications received in the Urdu language.
Likewise, in our state 206 residential schools have been established for the minority communities where more than 65,000 children are getting quality education free of cost,” he said.
Minister for minorities welfare Koppula Eshwar said after the formation of Telangana, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti government launched various schemes for the uplift of Muslims economically and in education. Telan-gana is the only state where equal opportunities for development have been provided to every section of the community.
Mr Eshwar said that to promote Urdu, various initiatives have been taken which is unprecedented. Urdu has been recognised as the second language of the state.
Posts of teachers in Urdu medium schools have been filled up. In a single instance our state has established 204 minorities residential schools. He also praised the services of the first education minister of the country, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad, in whose name the awards have been instituted.
President of the Acade-my, Moulana Raheemud-din Ansari, presided over the function. Chairman of the Haj Committee, Mohammed Masihullah Khan, and adviser to the government on minority affairs A.K. Khan were also present.
The Urdu Academy has selected Prince Muffa-kham Jah, the grandson of the last Nizam, and Prof. Anwar Moazzam, former Head of Islamic Studies, Osmania University, for the Moulana Abul Kalam Azad National Award. This award recognises the services of Urdu poets, scholars, journalists, fiction writers, social workers or eminent persons working for promotion of Urdu language and literature. It carries a cash prize of `2.25 lakh and a certificate of commendation.
The Academy also presented the Maqdoom Awards to Dr Farooq Shakeel (poetry), Prof. Baig Ehsas, former Head of the Urdu Department of the Hyderabad Central University (fiction), Rasheeduddin, the bureau chief of the Siasat daily (journalism) and Dr Abbas Mutaqqi (humour and satire). It carries a cash prize of `2 lakh and a citation.
The Academy also conferred Lifetime Achieve-ment awards on 28 personalities in recognition of their services in poetry, promotion of Urdu language, journalism, prose, research and education.
