Mysuru: U. Nisar Ahmed, Chairman of Karnataka State Minorities Commission, yesterday received various demands from the representatives of minority communities from the district to be included in the forthcoming State budget.

Ahmed, who chaired a meeting at Zilla Panchayat hall here, received memorandums from the leaders of Muslim, Jain, Christian, Sikh and Buddhism communities assuring that they would be included in the budgetary proposals.

Earlier, Jain community leader Suresh Kumar Jain urged that  encroachment of all Jain Basadis and temples be cleared, after marking the boundary and make corrections in the records and adequate funds must be earmarked in the budget for the Department of Minorities Welfare.

Buddhist leader Kalaswamy said, Buddhism Development Authority should be constituted and funds should be set aside. Buddha Vihars should be constructed and nine places in Karnataka, where inscriptions belonging to the era of Emperor Ashoka, should be developed as Buddhist tourist spots and Buddhist University must also be established in the State.

Muslim leader Mohammed Mansoor Ali said, to encourage the education of girl children belonging to minority communities, funds should be announced in the budget. More number of Muslims are professional vehicle drivers, who should be issued Driving License (DL) for free.

State BJP Minority Morcha President Dr. Anil Thomas demanded that Christian candidates and other minority community candidates be given due priority in recruitments at the Minorities Commission as only one community is being given more priority in recruitments now.

Christian families who remain economically backward should be surveyed and the Government must introduce schemes for the welfare of such families, he added.