Govt grants for madrasas giving religious education to students of other faiths will be stopped: MP CM

BHOPAL: Government grants for madrasas which impart religious education to students of other faiths and force them to attend worship practices contrary to their religious teachings will be stopped and legal action taken, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Tuesday. Yadav issued this warning during a meeting of cabinet ministers.

The School Education Department has issued instructions enforcing a ban on religious teaching to students of faiths other than those prescribed by their respective religions, in compliance with Article 28(3) of the Constitution, as per an official release quoting Yadav. The chief minister said that government grants to madrasas (Islamic seminaries) that force students to study or participate in religious practices contrary to their own beliefs will be halted. Additionally, such institutions may face legal actions, including potentially cancelling their recognition. An order to this effect was released by the School Education Department last Friday.

Yadav also directed cabinet ministers to spend at least one night per month in their designated districts to strengthen local governance. To bolster anti-corruption efforts, the Chief Minister announced plans to expand the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the Lokayukta in the state, the chief minister said. Yadav said a committee will be formed for the Maa Narmada Mission for holistic development of the Narmada river. The mission will involve urban bodies and Panchayat Raj institutions working together to ensure the continuity of the Narmada’s flow from its source to the Gujarat border.

The state government recently directed officials to verify the credentials of students enrolled in madrasas that receive government grants and ensure that they are not given religious education without the consent of parents or guardians, an official said on Saturday. The state government on Friday issued an order on the recommendation of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) that cited that some madrasas had fabricated names of students. The order stated that it was brought to the notice of the NCPCR, New Delhi and newspapers that the names of many non-Muslim children were fraudulently registered at madrasas to obtain government grants.