Muslim Applicants Excluded From AMRUT Drone Training Scheme Portal Says Rais Shaikh

Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh from Bhiwandi East has raised formal objections over the exclusion of Muslim youth from the Maharashtra government's AMRUT Institute Drone Pilot Training scheme. In letters sent to Minister Atul Save and the chief executive officer of the Maharashtra Research, Advancement and Training (AMRUT) Institute, Shaikh revealed that the online application portal only offers caste options for Hindu communities, effectively preventing eligible Muslim candidates from submitting their forms.

The AMRUT Institute, which was established as an autonomous government institution in August 2019, has invited applications for its Drone Pilot Training Programme with a deadline of June 30. The program is run under the state government’s Other Backward Bahujan Welfare Department and is designed to benefit candidates from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of the Open Category.

However, applicants attempting to register online have faced technical and administrative barriers. The online application portal requires candidates to input both their religion and caste. According to Shaikh, the portal only provides caste options for Hindu communities, leaving no viable options for Muslim applicants and preventing them from successfully completing the submission process.

Shaikh stated that he has received numerous complaints from frustrated Muslim youth who are eligible under the EWS criteria but cannot apply due to the portal's design. He urged Minister Save and the AMRUT administration to address the issue immediately.

In his formal complaint, the Bhiwandi East MLA pointed out that the founding August 2019 Government Resolution (GR) for the AMRUT Institute does not contain any mention of a specific religion. As an autonomous state body, the institute is mandated to serve all economically weaker sections within the Open Category without religious discrimination.