Tamil Nadu to Cover Full UG Tuition Fees for Muslim Women Under Government Quota; New Minorities Women's College Announced

Minorities Welfare Minister A.M. Shahjahan announced a set of education and welfare measures for minority communities while replying to the debate on demands for grants for his department in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on August 28.

The government will bear the full undergraduate tuition fees of eligible Muslim women admitted under the government quota in government, government-aided and self-financing institutions across arts and science, engineering, medicine, agriculture and law courses, with an initial allocation of about ₹20 crore.

The existing Tamil Nadu Wakf Board scholarship for Muslim girls in Classes 1 to 8 will be extended to cover Classes 9 and 10, with an annual grant of ₹2,000 for a reported 41,384 students at an outlay of about ₹8.28 crore.

The Wakf Board will also establish a new Minorities Women's Arts and Science College in Chennai with an initial grant of about ₹2.45 crore, and the government will create a ₹100 crore revolving fund to provide interest-free loans for developing income-generating assets on Muslim Wakf and Christian religious institution properties.

The minister said 10,000 people from minority communities would be given self-employment training over the next four years in fields such as information technology, automobiles, apparel design, beauty and wellness, embroidery and agriculture. The demands for grants were later passed by the House.