Hyderabad: Minister for Minority Welfare and Public Enterprises Mohammed Azharuddin on Tuesday reaffirmed the Telangana Government’s commitment to uplifting religious minorities through education, empowerment, and equal opportunity.
He made these remarks during National Education Day and Minorities Welfare Day celebrations held at Ravindra Bharathi. This marked his first public appearance since taking charge. Azharuddin paid tribute to Bharat Ratna Moulana Abul Kalam Azad and called for faster rollout of welfare programmes.
“This being my first appearance, I pay rich tributes to Moulana Azad, a visionary who stressed education as the backbone of national progress,” Azharuddin said. He described himself as a “fast decision-maker” and urged officials to match that pace.
Azad’s legacy and call for school attendance
Advisor to Government Mohammed Ali Shabbir also spoke at the event. He highlighted Azad’s role as India’s first Education Minister and credited him with building the country’s academic foundation. Citing the Quran’s first revealed verse, “Iqra,” meaning “read,” he emphasized that all faiths cherish knowledge. He encouraged more children from religious minority communities to attend school regularly.
Awards for Urdu scholars and scheme monitoring
The Telangana Urdu Academy honoured 18 Urdu scholars for contributions across journalism, poetry, research, and education. The honours included two Moulana Abul Kalam Azad National Awards of ₹2.25 lakh each, one Maqdoom Award of ₹2 lakh, and 15 Lifetime Achievement Awards of ₹50,000 each, for 2024 and 2025.
In addition, Azharuddin inspected exhibition stalls set up by various minority-focused institutions. These included the Minorities Finance Corporation, the Residential Educational Institutions Society, and the Minorities Study Circle. He reviewed their current schemes and assessed the impact on target communities.
Senior officials attend the event
The programme drew a wide range of officials and stakeholders from Telangana’s minority welfare sector. Attendees included Urdu Academy Chairman Taher Bin Hamdan, TMREIS President Faheem Qureshi, Minorities Commission Chairman Tariq Ansari, and leaders from the Hajj Committee and Christian Finance Corporation.