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Thursday March 8, 2007

PM says 'not appeasing minorities'

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was not apologetic about designing programmes for minorities.

He rejected the opposition's charge that the UPA Government was appeasing Muslims.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, he said the Sachar Committee Report has highlighted the stark realities about the condition of Muslims in India.

"We are designing targeted programmes for minority concentration districts and we make no apology about it," he said.

"The new 15-point programme is, therefore, focused on ensuring an equitable sharing of benefits of crucial development programme in health and education," he said.

The Prime Minister said in the long run and when all communities catch up in social indicators, there would be no need for such programmes.

But given the current disparities, it was imperative that the Government carried all sections along.

Singh said the government was determined to ensure benefits for deprived sections of society like minorities, SCs and STs and added effort was being made to reduce regional disparities.