Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government is considering providing financial assistance to 100 more madrassas, according to informed sources.

Chief Minister Mayawati is likely to soon approve a grant of Rs.180 million (Rs.18 crore) for 100 seminaries in the state, they said.

At present, there are 360 seminaries that are financially assisted by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government. Annually, the government spends around Rs.1.15 billion (Rs.115 crore) on these madrassas.

Noted Muslim clerics met Mayawati on July 2 and urged her to include more seminaries on the grant list.

"It is heartening for us that Mayawati has paid heed to our demands and is considering to allocate budget for more seminaries," Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Maheli, naib imam of Eidgah Aishbagh, told sources on Monday.

The move will uplift Muslim educational standards, he said.

Uttar Pradesh has over 1,900 madrassas recognised by the state Madrassa Education Board. Around 170,000 students study in these seminaries - the figure being highest among all Indian states.

Majority of these madrassas are dependent on the funds raised by Muslims. IANS