Trinamool Congress legislator and retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Humayun Kabir on Friday appealed in the house for enhanced payment for Muslim women under Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.

Under the scheme, a monthly dole of Rs 500 is paid to women in general category while Rs 1,000 for women falling in scheduled caste and scheduled tribe categories.

While taking part in a discussion in the ongoing session in the assembly, Kabir quoted a report by Pratichi Trust, founded and headed by Nobel laureate economist Dr Amartya Sen, to describe the financial backwardness of the Muslim women in the state.

“During the recent campaign programme, I interacted with many women from the Muslim community. Many questioned why they are getting just Rs 500 under the scheme, when their counterparts from the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe categories are getting Rs 1000,” Kabir said.

Speaker Biman Banerjee asked Kabir to submit the report of Pratichi Trust that he was quoting to his table.

However, his demand has embarrassment the ruling party after an explanation given later in her reply by the Women & Child Development and Social Welfare Department Minister Sashi Panja.

“The benefits of the scheme cannot be distributed on the basis of religion. This is a scheme planned by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the financially marginalised people. The total number of beneficiaries under the scheme currently stands at 1,97,37,033,” Panja said.

She even went to the extent of saying Kabir might have heard of any explanation from any other party.

“A specific system is followed going above the political spectrum in selecting the beneficiaries under the scheme,” Panja said.

However, even later Kabir stuck to his stand and said that Rs1,000 should be given at least to Muslim women who come under the other backward class (OBC) category.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed.)