UP Minority welfare dept finds ‘anomalies’ in 12 government-aided madrasas | The Indian Express
The Uttar Pradesh minority welfare department has, prima facie, found “gross anomalies” in 12 government-aided madrasas, including in terms of infrastructure and staff records. Over the last few weeks, the department has been physically verifying such madrasas across the state. It has also been inquiring into the records of their teachers and expenditure. According to it, there are 560 such madrasas out of a total of 7,500 recognised ones in the state whose teachers’ salaries are borne by the state.
On an average, according to the government, it pays around Rs 60 lakh per annum in aid to each madrasa and spends about Rs 550 crore per annum in teacher salaries. The department claims there were complaints of a good number of these institutions not submitting qualification records and other details of teachers appointed here. Some of them did not even have proper buildings, said a source in the department. The task of the verification and subsequent inquiry was given to Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Shiksha Board under the department. Till now, over half of such institutions have been inquired into and a list of defaulters is being prepared.
“While the entire physical verification and inquiry are yet to be completed, out of about 300 madrasas physically verified so far, prima facie gross anomalies have been found in at least 12 madrasas, where grant was being taken showing a house as madrasa or family members listed as teaching staff,” said Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, state minority welfare minister. “It has also come to our notice that there is a racket rampant in some of these institutes with one person managing eight to 10 madrasas and taking government fund for all of them. All these details are being compiled and all those who fail to provide proper explanation would be removed from the aid list.”
The minister said that the aided madrasas have been asked to submit detailed records of their principals and teachers as well. While the government plans to add about 46 new madrasas to the aid list this year, sources inform that this would be only after action is taken against those that do not follow government norms. After this exercise, the department plans to verify and inquire into the records of recognised unaided madrasas as well.
