Maulana Azad Bhavan inaugurated

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Highlighting the need for education to take on the challenges at global level, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai directed the State Minority Development Department to draw up plans keeping in mind the poorest of the poor among the community. He also said the minorities should adapt to the fast-changing world to achieve their goal and join the social mainstream.

After virtually inaugurating the much awaited Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Bhavan in Bengaluru on Friday, the Chief Minister expressed concerns over the lack of education among the minorities. “Children are the future of our country. They must get quality education instead of being made to toil at a young age,” he said.

Built over 10,000 square feet of land in Vasanth Nagar, the four storey building will accommodate all the Head Offices of Minority Welfare Department such as Directorate of Minorities, Karnataka Minority Development Corporation, Minority Commission and Urdu Academy under one roof along with an auditorium.

During the 2017 budget, the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced Rs 20 crore towards the construction of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Bhavan and to set up training centres to cater to the management and staff of Wakf institutions. The following year during the rule of H.D. Kumaraswamy, the foundation stone for the building was laid in 2018.

State Minority Commission Chairman Abdul Azeem said the idea of bringing all minority welfare services under one roof will ease accessibility. “People from the community must benefit from the government services without any hindrance,” he said.

Recalling his time at Kalaburagi as district-in-charge minister, Bommai said that he had observed that the literacy rate there among the community had improved.