In a letter to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi requested that the pending Aasara pension amounts and pension cards be released to old-age pensioners across the state.
As part of the letter, he also informed the Chief Minister that Rs 5,000 honoraria for 10,000 imams and muazins had remained unpaid for five months, despite the state having sanctioned the budget and released the funds in July 2022.
The chief minister was also reminded of AIMIM’s earlier request to have Imams and muazins paid similarly to archakas and other temple staff. In 2017, the State government announced that archakas and other temple staff under the Endowments department would be on a payscale at par with government employees.
Akbaruddin Owaisi also praised the TRS government’s reform of pension schemes for the aged, widows, and disabled and urged it to release the unpaid Aasara pension amounts.
In July, the Telangana government approved Rs 17 crore for the honorariums, which were due in three months for Imams and Muezzins in the state.
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Telangana State Wakf Board Chairman Mohammed Masiullah Khan welcomed the decision and thanked Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for the sanction, adding that all funds were released through the green channel and would be credited directly to the Imam’s (who led the prayers) and Muezzin’s accounts (who make prayer call).
“I thank CM KCR for sanctioning Rs 17 crore for the honorariums of Imam and Muezzins which were pending from the last three months and we will also use this remaining amount for widow pensions,” added Masiullah.
Locals applauded the move and said the state government’s financial assistance would go a long way.
“Telangana government is providing salary’s for Imam and Muezzins, it’s a great thing that government is doing. We have seen many governments but none considered minorities, however KCR sir is helping a lot. The community’s people respected a lot to Imam and Muezzins government is helping them financially is a great thing,” said a local, Mohd Ismail Ansari.
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