Mumbai: To improve the meagre representation of Muslims in the civil services, the Haj Committee of India is coaching Muslim youths for the UPSC exam. This initiative has received an overwhelming response from Muslim girls. "We have candidates from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore as well as a large number of girls from Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh," says Prof. S.A.M. Hashmi, director, Coaching and Guidance Cell of the Haj Committee. Humera Sarang, one of the candidates, says, "It is not our aim to work for the betterment of only Muslims. We want to work for people of other religions as well." The first batch of students, 16 girls and 26 boys, will stay at the Central Haj Committee building in Mumbai for 14 months without pursuing any other degree or job, and without cellphones. They will be required to be in classrooms for more than 10 hours a day unless they have to eat, sleep or offer namaaz. Published By: AtMigration Published On: Dec 17, 2009 00:00 IST--- ENDS ---
