NEW DELHI/DEHRADUN — The BJP government in Uttarakhand has decided to stop grants to 456 Arabic madrasas from the 2027–28 financial year, a move that has caused concern among Muslim organisations, madrasa managers and education activists who fear it will affect the education of thousands of poor Muslim children across the state.
The decision was approved during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami after the state government dissolved the Uttarakhand Madrasa Board following the implementation of the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority in July.
Under the new arrangement, all matters related to the recognition, administration and monitoring of madrasas will now be handled by the State Minority Education Authority instead of the Madrasa Board.
The government has also approved a proposal to remove the budget allocation that had been used for grants to aided madrasas, saying the previous system was no longer required after the abolition of the Madrasa Board.
The decision has drawn criticism from members of the Muslim community, who say the withdrawal of financial support will place an additional burden on institutions that mainly serve children from poor and economically weaker families.
Many educationists fear that several madrasas may struggle to meet their day-to-day expenses without government assistance. They say these institutions provide education to children whose families often cannot afford private schooling, and cutting financial support could affect access to education for many students.
According to the state government’s decision, the 456 Arabic madrasas that had been receiving government grants will no longer receive financial assistance from the beginning of the 2027–28 financial year.
Additional Secretary to the Chief Minister, Banshidhar Tiwari, said the decision followed the dissolution of the Madrasa Board.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.
