"The IDB has pledged to support the educational projects within the framework of the regulatory provisions of the Indian government," said Kamal Faruqui, an IDB representative in India, who made a presentation here on Sunday. The presentation was attended by a large number of Indian expatriates including Salem Zubedi, Hussain Zulkarnain, Arif Shah and Rizwanul Haq.
Faruqui, who is also the chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission and the director of the Central Bank of India, is currently visiting the Kingdom at the invitation of the IDB. Faruqui, who is also a member of the board of India's Aligarh Muslim University, urged Saudi aid organizations and Indian expatriates to "support minority projects and set up viable educational projects along commercial lines." He pointed out that a major educational project had been launched in Hapur, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which would primarily cater to the needs of Muslim minorities. In his speech, he also gave an overview of the problems faced by Indian Muslims. He said that the relationship between education and development was strong. "Education is a key instrument of socio-economic development," said Faruqui, adding that the areas with better education have a higher GDP growth.
Nafees Ahmed, an IDB employee, said that the vision of the IDB was to promote education and training in India. Ahmed said that the IDB representatives in India had agreed to set up four world-class coaching institutes for students in that country at a cost of $600,000. The first one will be opened in New Delhi, and will be an extension of a premier civil services coaching center presently run by Hamdard Education Trust, he added.
He said that the basic objective of the IDB's special assistance program was to promote the development of Muslim communities in non-member countries. Since its beginning, the number of projects supported under the program worldwide exceeds 1500 in which millions of dollars of IDB grants have been invested. India, being the second most populated country, has been given special attention. The IDB is an international financial institution established in the Saudi city of Jeddah in order to foster economic development and social progress in member countries and Muslim communities all over the world.