Instead of religion, madrassa students to be taught to become officers, doctors: UP Minister

Lucknow: The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh claimed that it has taken the initiative to bring out engineers, IAS officers and doctors from madrasas in the state.

Instead of becoming maulvis by learning religious subjects, madrassa students would become engineers, IAS officers and doctors by studying mathematics, general science, social science, Hindi and other subjects as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said minorities welfare minister Dharampal Singh.

The minister also said schools and hospitals would be built by vacating land belonging to the Waqf board, which is currently under illegal occupation.

"Following the prime minister's vision of 'Quran in one hand and laptop in the other' for madrassa students, they will be taught mathematics, general science, social science, Hindi and other subjects so that they can join the Indian Administrative Service and Provincial Civil Services or become engineers and doctors instead of becoming maulvis (clerics) by obtaining 'deen' (religious) teachings," he told reporters after a departmental review meeting here.

Lavishing praise on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Dharampal said he was turning Uttar Pradesh into "Uttam (better) Pradesh" as envisaged by the prime minister. The minister said considerable tracts of land belonging to the Waqf board had been illegally occupied but assured that it will be vacated and used to build schools, hospitals and parks.

The government also has plans to set up one "govansh sthal" (cowshed), capable of accommodating 2,000 to 4,000 cattle, in each of the Assembly constituencies, he said.

PTI Input