NEW DELHI, 1 September 2007 — In an attempt to dispel fears of government inaction over the Sachar Committee report, Minority Affairs Minister A.R. Antulay yesterday tabled a statement in Parliament yesterday on the government’s follow-up action on the report. “It is a historic occasion and it is a historic statement,” he said. In the 15-point action plan, Antulay said that guidelines have already been issued to improve representation of minorities in government, public sector enterprises, public sector banks and other services.
The Sachar Committee report submitted to Parliament in November went into details about social, economic and educational status of Indian Muslims, and suggested adoption of suitable mechanisms to improve them.
A committee would review the Delimitation Act and concerns expressed by the Sachar panel regarding anomalies in representation of Muslims in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) and state assemblies, Antulay said. The nomination procedure, suggested by the Sachar committee, calls for a “more rational delimitation procedure” to ensure political involvement of Muslims at the grass roots and ascertain that constituencies with high minority population are not reserved for scheduled castes.
The government has selected 90 minority concentration districts, which are backward in terms of various developmental parameters. For these, the government has announced targeted intervention for improvement of basic amenities and employment opportunities.
In addition, appropriate measures will be taken to improve deficiency in civic amenities and economic opportunities in 338 identified towns and cities where the minority population is substantial.
Aside from this, Antulay said efforts would be made to enhance priority-sector lending to minorities from the present level to 15 percent in three years. With this motive, public-sector banks will open more branches in Muslim concentration areas, he said. Financial institutions will promote microfinance among minorities, especially women, and public sector banks will monitor the disposal of loan applications for them while recording reasons for their rejection, Antulay said.
With educational backwardness a major reason for problems afflicting Indian Muslims, the government has proposed three scholarship schemes exclusively for minorities. On this, Antulay said: “A merit-cum-means scholarship for 20,000 students from minority communities for pursuing technical and professional courses has been approved. The other two, a prematriculation and a postmatriculation scholarship scheme will be introduced shortly.” Antulay also said that the corpus of the Maulana Azad Education Foundation will be increased and its operations expanded and streamlined.
The government will open more schools, including “girls only” schools, in areas with substantial Muslim population. The madrasa modernization program will be revised, with focus on ensuring equivalence of qualifications from madrasas for subsequent access to higher education, the minister said. He also drew attention to the government having approved a revised coaching and remedial tuition scheme to improve employability and academic performance of students belonging to minority communities.
Information on health and family welfare schemes will be disseminated in Urdu and regional languages in areas with substantial minority population. The government proposes a comprehensive amendment of Wakf Act to address its deficiencies. There will soon be a suitable agency for development of wakf properties so that the augmented income is utilized for purposes intended, Antulay said.
There was no comment, however, on Sachar Committee’s recommendation favoring reservation for Muslims. Several Muslim leaders had participated in a sit-in in the capital last month demanding implementation of the recommendations made by Sachar Committee and Mishra Commission, which have suggested reservation for Muslims. Accusing the government of failing to take any serious step for development of Muslims, the leaders had threatened to organize a series of agitations across the country this month.
