Telangana CM announces Rs.26 crore Ramzan bonanza

Hyderabad: In a first-of-its kind gesture, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday announced a bonanza of Rs 26 crore for Muslims on the occasion of Ramzan festival, which would be celebrated officially by the Telangana government this year onwards.

KCR declares it as official festival; to host grand Iftar on July  8.

Addressing a press conference at his camp office, the Chief Minister said the government would celebrate the festival on a grand scale all over the State. On July  8, the government would host “Daawat-e-Iftar” at the Nizam College grounds for which more than 5,000 people from all walks of life, including ministers, MP. MLAs, MLCs, District Collectors, bureaucrats, police officials and scribes would be invited.

“We will be inviting all political leaders, cutting across party lines, to the Iftar party. Similarly, we are also extending invitation to Consul Generals of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey and Iran to the party,” he said, adding that the Chief Secretary would monitor the arrangements for the festivities for communal amity and brotherhood like “Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb.”

Senior IPS officer ACB Chief A K Khan will head a committee for the arrangements and Deputy Chief Minister Mahamood Ali will monitor the festivities along with MLC



Salim, KCR said, adding that a GO will be issued soon. KCR said similar Iftar parties would be hosted in over 100 mosques spread over 24 Assembly segments in Hyderabad during the festival period.

Instructions were also issued to all the District Collectors to conduct Ramzan festivities officially and host Iftar parties to at least 1,000 Muslims to ensure that the Muslim brethren participate in a peaceful and grand manner.“I have directed the Collectors during a video conference to conduct Ramzan festival officially,” he said.

The Chief Minister said as part of the official celebration of Ramzan, the government had decided to provide clothes worth Rs 500 to each of 1.95 lakh poor Muslims in Hyderabad. It was also decided to pay a monthly remuneration of Rs 1,000 each to Imams and Mouzans of the 5,000 mosques across the State.Imams of the mosques should distribute clothes worth Rs 500 to every poor Muslim and mass feeding at all orphanages by spending Rs 25 lakh.

While some 3,000 mosques were registered with Wakf Board, some 1,500 unregistered mosques will get the benefit of the government scheme. The government would spend Rs 9.75 crore on distribution of free clothes, Rs 4 crore on food, Rs 12 crore on remunerations to Imams and Mouzans and Rs 3 crore towards other expenses.