I am to draw the attention of authorities concerned in the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony regarding their recent advertisement for financial year 2019-20 scholarships for Minority students. According to details only those students are eligible for scholarship whose parent’s monthly income is Rs- 10, 000/- for school level and Rs- 20, 000/- for college level. Surprisingly, this condition of parent’s monthly income is going on for the last many years without keeping in view the inflation rate.

According to 2019-20 budgets, the Federal Government and the Provincial Governments of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have raised the minimum wage for unskilled workers from Rs 15,000 to Rs 17,500 a month. The government of Sindh has raised the minimum wage from Rs 16,200 to Rs 17,000 a month. Even a general labourer is earing Rs- 24, 000/- per month @ Rs- 800/- daily.

One wonders that even an unskilled worker and daily wages labourer are earning more than set criteria for scholarship, in spite of the fact that they are getting minimum wages, and then who is getting these scholarships in the name of Minorities. The present Government should immediately stop this joke with the Minorities by seriously looking into the matter and raise the monthly income condition of parents from Rs- 10, 000/- to Rs- 30, 000 Minority Scholarship; another joke with the Minorities/- and Rs- 20, 000/- to Rs- 50, 000/- respectively to enable the Minority students to get benefit from this scheme.

EMMANUEL YOUSAF,

Lahore.