The Andhra Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, has released ₹45 crore to clear six months of pending honorariums for Imams and Muezzins. The funds will be disbursed from April onwards to religious clerics who had not received their payments during the previous administration.
TDP government advisor Mohammed Sharif stated that the coalition government is addressing long-standing concerns of Muslim minorities, who, he claimed, had faced difficulties during the last five years. He further noted that the state budget for 2024-25 has allocated ₹4,376 crore for Muslim minority welfare.
ముస్లిం మైనారిటీలకు గత తెలుగుదేశం ప్రభుత్వంలో ఇచ్చిన పథకాలు, ఎన్నికల్లో ప్రకటించిన హామీలు బేరీజు వేసుకుని ప్రస్తుత పరిస్థితులకు అనుగుణంగా పథకాలు రీ స్ట్రక్చర్ చేయాలని సిఎం ఆదేశించారు. మైనారిటీ సంక్షేమంపై ముఖ్యమంత్రి చంద్రబాబు నాయడు సచివాలయంలో సమీక్ష చేశారు. సమీక్ష సమావేశంలో… pic.twitter.com/y7q7xBxcY0
— Telugu Desam Party (@JaiTDP) September 23, 2024
The previous YSRCP government had been criticized by some for delays in payments and the discontinuation of certain welfare schemes. With the latest release of funds, the Naidu administration signalled its intent to support Muslim welfare programs.
The honorarium scheme for Imams and Muezzins in Andhra Pradesh was first introduced by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) during its tenure between 2014 and 2019. In 2016, the then TDP government announced financial support for clerics who had no income.
After the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) came to power in 2019, the honorarium amount was increased—for Imams, it was raised from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000, and for Muezzins, from ₹3,000 to ₹5,000.
Ahead of the May 2024 elections, the TDP reaffirmed its commitment to this scheme in its manifesto, promising to continue the honorarium payments at ₹10,000 for Imams and ₹5,000 for Muezzins. The recent release of ₹45 crore in pending dues follows through on that electoral pledge.
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