Mangaluru: A dedicated building for minority welfare was inaugurated on Sunday, October 30 by state minister, Tanveer Sait. The new three-storey building, is the third ‘Minority Bhavan’ constructed by the Government of Karnataka at the cost of Rs. 2.36 crore.

After inaugurating the building, Tanveer spoke to the gathering about the struggles of minorities. He said, “Like every year, scholarships for minority students are given to ensure that they do not have to get loans for their education. This year alone, 75,000 students in Dakshina Kannada received scholarships. The selected few IAS students receive a stipend of Rs 8000 a month. Four new hostels for ladies have been put to operation by the Minority Welfare Department.”

He said that a full-fledged Wakf board will be in place in two months after a complete survey planning is done. “New developments in the Wakf board are documented and surveys have been completed”, Tanveer added.

Speaking on the occasion, District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai mentioned about the several beneficiaries of ‘Vidya Siri’ scheme for lady students which will also be available for minority lady students in the coming year. “Several programmes from the state government have been successfully implemented and followed up. It gives me immense pleasure to know say that 73 hostels for backward classes have been constructed this year and we are seeing more applications for Vidya Siri”, Rai said.

He concluded by saying, “There are several minorities who made it to the top in the district. The four legislators of Mangaluru city are all minorities. When it comes to studies, Muslim girls get a lot of ranks to complement the same fact.”