Built at the cost of Rs 15.5. crore, the Nagpur Haj House has come up on a sprawling 19,000 sq ft area in Ganjipeth in the central part of the city and has separate prayer rooms for men and women. It has 40 rooms with 10-person capacity.
Speaking on the occasion, Chavan said the Centre was currently funding four districts, including Buldana, Hingoli and Washim with a view to enhance the status of minority communities.
Chavan urged the Union Minister for Minorities, Law and Justice, Salman Khurshid, who was the guest of honour at the function, to sponsor the Centrally-monitored projects for minorities saying the Centre should extend the benefit of four districts to ten other districts where people from minority are in sizable number.
Union Minister for Social Justice Mukul Wasnik, Chairperson of the Central Haj Committee, Mohsina Kidwai, and ministers from state Cabinet, including the Minister for Minority Development Arif Naseem Khan, besides MPs Vilas Muttemwar, Datta Meghe, Vijay Darda among others were present on the occasion. Listing various developmental schemes meant for minority communities, Chavan said the Maharashtra government had earmarked Rs 275 crore for recently created Minority Development Ministry and has plans to raise it to Rs 350 crore in the next budget.
The chief minister said Maharashtra was the first state in the country to form a separate ministry for Minority Development. Former Maharashtra Minister Haji Anees Ahmed of Nagpur who is currently AICC Gen Secretary incharge of Haryana had played key role for the construction of Nagpur Haj House. Following the inauguration of the Hajj House, the first Haj flight will take off from the city on October 17. Mumbai is the other place in Maharashtra which hosts a Hajj House in VT area of the state capital.
Chavan urged the Union Minister for Minorities, Law and Justice, Salman Khurshid, who was the guest of honour at the function, to sponsor the Centrally-monitored projects for minorities saying the Centre should extend the benefit of four districts to ten other districts where people from minority are in sizable number.
Union Minister for Social Justice Mukul Wasnik, Chairperson of the Central Haj Committee, Mohsina Kidwai, and ministers from state Cabinet, including the Minister for Minority Development Arif Naseem Khan, besides MPs Vilas Muttemwar, Datta Meghe, Vijay Darda among others were present on the occasion. Listing various developmental schemes meant for minority communities, Chavan said the Maharashtra government had earmarked Rs 275 crore for recently created Minority Development Ministry and has plans to raise it to Rs 350 crore in the next budget.
The chief minister said Maharashtra was the first state in the country to form a separate ministry for Minority Development. Former Maharashtra Minister Haji Anees Ahmed of Nagpur who is currently AICC Gen Secretary incharge of Haryana had played key role for the construction of Nagpur Haj House. Following the inauguration of the Hajj House, the first Haj flight will take off from the city on October 17. Mumbai is the other place in Maharashtra which hosts a Hajj House in VT area of the state capital.
The state government plans to build one more Haj House in Aurangabad. The proposal to build the Haj House in this Marathwada heartland is however facing deadlock because of the strong opposition from communal forces.
