Interview with Siddique Hasan: Architect of JIH’s vision 2016

Prof Siddique Hassan, Naib Ameer (vice president) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a college professor and former head of JIH’s Kerala unit is credited with undertaking some big projects and making them success. No example can be better than Madhyamam, a daily newspaper published by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind in Kerala and Gulf. It has more than a dozen editions being published from Kerala and Gulf simultaneously. Now he heads JIH’s mammoth social welfare project Vision 2016 that aims to positively transform lives of the underprivileged sections of the Indian societyIn an interview Prof Siddique Hassan, speaks extensively on the project Vision 2016, a mammoth multi billion rupees project, its progress and the challenges ahead. Excerpts:

Q: What is Vision 2016 all about?

A: Vision 2016 is an ambitious plan envisaged for the development and upliftment of the deprived sections of our society that includes Muslims and Dalits. Lasting for period of ten years, the project has identified education, health, employment, women empowerment, and microfinance as its chief focus areas. The schemes and projects run by various institutions and agencies are supervised by an umbrella organization, Human Welfare Foundation. In the first phase, Muslims of the selected 58 poor districts are going to benefit from the project.
Projects under ‘education’, for instance, include capacity enhancement of existing schools, setting up new primary and secondary schools, special girls’ schools, vocational training centers, coaching and guiding centers, providing merit-cum-means scholarships, etc. Similarly various projects for other areas like healthcare are in the making.

Q: What has prompted Jamaat-e-Islami to venture into such a big social work project, instead of confining to conventional religious activities?

A: Being an Islamic Movement in the true sense of the term, Jamaat-e-Islami has never ignored social work. Nor is it a conventional Muslim organization. The ever worsening scenario of backwardness in India has always been a concern for Jamaat. India is a country where 33 per cent of the population still lives under the BPL (Below Poverty Line) and 40 per cent of its people remain illiterate. When it comes to the condition of the Muslim community in India, the picture is worse. The Sacchar Committee Report has categorically stated that the Muslim in the country live under conditions worse than that of Dalits. Poverty is so extreme in some regions that many Muslims quit their religion just for a morsel of meal

.Q: Which are the areas of the project where progress has been made so far and how much?

A: The project is in the initial stage but is progressing. In the field of education, remarkable achievements have been made. We’ve planned to set up 100 schools by 2011 in various districts of North Indian states which are relatively more backward than the South Indian districts. Work of 25 of these schools has already finished and lands have been acquired for the rest of the schools. Scholarships worth 50 lakh rupees have been given away to those backward students who have secured 60 per cent marks in their standard ten examinations.In the field of health, we plan to establish hospitals and clinics, mobile medical vans, etc and to provide medical aid to the needy. For the supervision of these activities, we’ve already formed Medical Society of India which is a common platform for doctors and paramedical staffs committed to our cause.

Q: You’ve mentioned the fields of legal aid and microfinance. What have you been able to do in these fields?

A: We’ve recently formed Association for the Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) bringing into its fold, social activists, advocates, and dedicated social workers. APCR aims to defend the rights of the underprivileged people. It organizes training workshops and awareness programmes on human rights and investigates cases of human rights violations. Taking up various issues related to judiciary and law, with a view to bringing about meaningful and timely reforms in the criminal justice system of the country also comes under APCR’s purview. Also, APCR has published a very useful guidebook to educate the human rights activists on the legal and ethical aspects of the service they are involved in.As for microfinance, the microfinancing enterprises we are going to have will be purely interest-free. We’ve recently conducted a four-day workshop in Hyderabad to deliberate on the practical details of implementing microfinancing in which experts from different part s of the country took part. An NGO for working with microfinancing is in the pipeline.

Q: When you came up with such a mammoth project that runs into hundreds of crores, what was the response you got from various corners like other Muslim organizations and leaders?

A: I would say we got good response from the community leaders and organization. I want to tell you that whenever Jamaat-e-Islami took an initiative for any good project or programme, other Muslim organizations have responded positively. We have not come across a situation when Muslim organizations and leaders outrightly rejected any suggestion put forward by Jamaat-e-Islami. Everyone seems to be aware of the need of making collective endeavours towards the upliftment of the community

.Q: Coming to the more practical aspects, do you think the Jamaat has the expertise to undertake and successfully complete such a huge project?

A: No, Jamaat-e-Islami is under no illusion that Jamaat and its cadre alone can accomplish all these targets. In fact, we are trying to engage experienced NGOs along with its cadre, in the micro-planning and execution of each of these schemes and projects

.Q: Given the fact that several institutions in North India run by Jamaat do not fare well owing to lack of professionalism , are you sure the Jamaat cadres are competent in running schools, vocational training institutes, hospitals ,etc efficiently?

A: I want to underscore the fact that the Vision 2016 is not a Jamaat-only project. We have a high regard for professionalism and will ensure all the steps taken are foolproof. We seek the help of various consultants who have put in many years of experience in relevant fields. And we are not alone. We’ve about 50 affiliates who are known for their expertise in different areas. As for the role of Jamaat cadre, those who are really devoted to the cause have been chosen and given special training.
Q: How was your experience in getting the right people to work for the project?

A: Now the project is going through its implementation-stage. In the initial stage we’re mainly concerned with development of infrastructural and logistic support on which the further pursuit of the project highly depends. In this effort we’ve had many experiences and getting the right people was really a tough job in some areas. However, it must be said that the experience on the whole was satisfactory.

Q: Your brochure says you are going to spend Rs 377 million within four years (from 2007-2011). How do you think you’ll overcome probable pitfalls like mismanagement of funds and other irregularities?

A: We’re aware of the fact these facts. One thing I’d like to clarify is that this is not a set of projects for which Jamaat accumulates funds from various sources and then distributes them to agencies. There are proper checks and balances to ensure maximum transparency and accountability. For example, every transaction has to be approved by auditors.Another thing that needs to be clarified is that a major part of the programmes in Vision 2016 is to enable the underprivileged people to avail themselves of all the developmental schemes sponsored by the central and state governments. It’s a known fact many governmental schemes for the deprived are being implemented and then trampled by the bureaucracy, with main targets of these schemes remaining unaware of them. The same can be said about various projects aimed at the minorities.In order to create awareness among the needy people of legitimate ways to tap the available resources for their prosperity, we’ve published a handbook, ‘A Guide to the Uplift Minorities’. The handbook, which will soon be published in all regional languages, contains information regarding various governmental and non-governmental schemes and for different groups of people and needs. This guide, we believe, is of high value and help to the common man as well as social workers