Dr. Shaheen Khanum, Farzana Bano, Kashish Jain, and Urvashi Jain, coming from poor families, completed their studies, pursued jobs, and became the financial support of the family.
Abdullah Salam
NEW DELHI– There is a saying, ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’. On Women’s Day, The NewsPrism brings the story of such daughters who dreamed of higher education with open eyes. To fulfill this dream, they faced financial challenges and made their mark. Now they have become the financial support of their families by securing jobs.
Dr. Shaheen Khanum, a resident of Sawai Madhopur city in Rajasthan, is one such daughter. She is a specialist dentist. She provides financial support to her family by treating patients at a private clinic. Dr. Shaheen says, “The dream of education has come true due to the loan received from the Minority Welfare Department.”
While speaking to The NewsPrism , Dr. Shaheen Khanum said, “It is true that there has been a lack of awareness in Muslim society regarding the education of daughters. This is the reason why parents have hesitated to educate their daughters due to societal fears. However, now perceptions towards education have changed.”
She said, “My father even sold his factory to educate me. People in society questioned why he was wasting time educating his daughter. They said that after marriage, she would have to go to someone else’s house, but my father ignored them and persevered.”
Even after selling the factory, when more money was needed for her studies, she approached the Sawai Madhopur District Minority Welfare Department for an education loan. She says, “During my final year of studies, the department granted me a loan of Rs 3 lakh in 2014-15. The loan amount I received from here was enough to change my life. I completed my studies by paying the fees with this amount. Today, I am serving as a dentist. My father now works as a laborer in a factory. Father and daughter are running the family together. Two younger brothers are still studying. The family has also relocated to Jaipur.”
Similarly, Farzana Bano, a resident of Sarsop village in Sawai Madhopur, also took a loan of Rs 2 lakh from the Minority Welfare Department in 2015-16 for medical studies. After completing her B.Sc. Nursing, she has now become the first woman CHO (Community Health Officer) in her family. Currently, she is working on contract at a sub-center in Gangapur City district, assisting her husband, Amin Khan, who also works as a nursing officer in a private hospital in another district.
Farzana told The NewsPrism , “My father’s financial condition was not good, but he never hesitated to educate his daughters. After passing 12th grade, I applied for B.Sc. Nursing. I was allotted a college, but the money for the fees was insufficient. There were no funds. Upon this, my father contacted the District Minority Welfare Department, obtained a loan for education, and paid the college fees.” She says, “The Minority Department provided significant relief. I also stayed in the department’s hostel during my studies. I am currently striving for a permanent job.”
Kashish Jain, a resident of Sawai Madhopur, also took a loan from the Minority Department to study CA. Now she works in a private finance company. Her father, Ashok Jain, told The NewsPrism that “he received financial support from the Minority Department. Although he runs an animal feed shop in Sawai Madhopur, his income was insufficient to provide higher education to his daughter. Hence, he received financial support from the Minority Department in 2015. At the age of 16, his daughter obtained a loan of Rs 2 lakh and pursued her education. She is now self-reliant.”
Urvashi Jain, residing in Sawai Madhopur district, also completed her CA studies by taking a loan from the Minority Department. After completing her studies, she started her own business in a big city like Kota. She has become self-reliant by leveraging the Minority Welfare Department’s scheme. Her father, Arvind Jain, runs an electrical shop in Sawai Madhopur. Arvind says, “Due to our weak financial condition, I had to take a loan for my daughter’s education. Education expenses are high. This government scheme has provided significant support to our family.”
The Minority Department prioritizes loans for education and business. Hundreds of families across the state are benefiting from this scheme. With the assistance of Rajasthan Minority Finance and Development Cooperative Corporation, Jaipur, the government provides financial support to needy families. Under the scheme, 90 percent of the loan amount is provided by the Central Government and 5 percent by the State Government, while the borrower must deposit a demand draft of five percent to the advance department.
Any individual can apply to the District Minority Welfare Department for a loan for business or higher education. After receiving the application, departmental officers review it at the district level and conduct physical verification. Subsequently, the department approves 95 percent of the amount. The beneficiary must repay this amount in installments over five years. For this, the department requires a guarantee from an elected public representative and a government employee to facilitate recovery. A 3 percent interest rate applies to education loans, while a 6 percent interest rate applies to business loans.
Regarding Sawai Madhopur district, in the financial year 2013-24, the Minority Department had a target loan distribution of Rs 38.25 lakh. The department successfully disbursed loans totaling Rs 38.25 lakh to 18 people, benefiting 18 individuals during that financial year. Of this amount, Rs 30.60 lakh was allocated to 14 individuals for business purposes, while Rs 13.20 lakh was allocated to two individuals for education.
Sawai Madhopur District Minority Welfare Officer Manoj Meena informed The NewsPrism that the department provides loans for higher education and business ventures. Daughters are also eligible for loans for higher education. In the business field, the department has set a specific loan amount. Preference is given to small businesses to ensure maximum benefit for more people and to achieve set targets.