Minorities in India: Policies, Programmes and Status Professor Sukhadeo Thorat Chairman, ICSSR New Delhi, India 1
Outline • Constitutional Provisions • Policies and Programmes • Prime-ministers 15 point programme • Status of Minorities in India – Population – Poverty – Employment – Education 2
Constitutional Provisions Right to Equality – Article 14: Ensures equality before law – Article 15: Prohibits the discrimination on the ground of religion, caste, race, sex or place of birth – Article 18: Abolition of titles Right to Freedom – Article 19: Right to freedom of speech – Articles 21: Protection of life and liberty Right to Freedom of Religion – Article 25: Ensures freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion – Article 26: freedom to manage religious affairs – Article 27: Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion – Article 28: Freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions 3
Constitutional Provisions Contd… Cultural and Educational Rights – Article 29: Protection of interests of minorities: • Any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same • No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them 4
Constitutional Provisions Contd… – Article 30: Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions: • All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice – In making any law providing for the compulsory acquisition of any property of an educational institution established and administered by a minority, referred to in clause ( 1 ), – the State shall ensure that the amount fixed by or determined under such law for the acquisition of such property is such as would not restrict or abrogate the right guaranteed under that clause • The state shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions, discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or language 5
Institutions Established before Sachar Committee for the Development of Minorities • National Commission for Minority was set up in 1992 to protect and preserve minorities from attack. • National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions was established in 2004 to protect and safeguard the educational institutions established by the minorities. This also ensure rights of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice as provided in the Article 30 of the Indian Constitution 6
Policies and Programmes Implemented After Sachar Committee for Development of Minorities 7
Recommendations of Sachar committee Report (2006) Of the total 76 recommendations of Sachar Committee, Government of India has accepted 72 which can be grouped into following seven groups I. Measures for affirmative action II. Education III. Skill Development IV. Access to credit V. Special development initiatives VI. Waqfs VII. Miscellaneous 8
Prime Minister’s 15 Point programme for the Welfare of Minorities - 2009 A: Enhancing opportunities for Education 1. Equitable availability of ICDS Services 2. Improving access to School Education 3. Greater resources for teaching Urdu 4. Modernizing Madarsa Education 5. Scholarships for meritorious students from minority communities 6. Improving educational infrastructure through the Maulana Azad Education Foundation B: Equitable Share in Economic Activities and Employment 1. Self-Employment and Wage Employment for the poor 2. Upgradation of skills through technical training 3. Enhanced credit support for economic activities 4. Recruitment to State and Central Services C: Improving the conditions of living of minorities 1. Equitable share in rural housing scheme 2. Improvement in condition of slums/ areas inhabited by minority communities D: Prevention & Control of Communal Riots 1. Prevention of communal incidents 2. Prosecution for communal offences 9 3. Rehabilitation of victims of communal riots
Programmes Implemented by Ministry Minority of Affairs • Ministry of Minority Affairs- Under this ministry various program initiated after Sachar Committee. These are: – Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme – Post-matric Scholarship Scheme – Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme – Free Coaching and Allied Scheme – Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students Scheme – Research/Studies, Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Schemes including Publicity – Computerization of the records of State Wakf Boards Scheme – Corpus Fund to Maulana Azad Education Foundation(MAEF) – Equity to National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) – Grant in Aid Scheme to State Channelising Agencies of National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation – Nai Roshni -The Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women Scheme – Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) 10
Education • Pre-matric, Post-matric and Merit-cum-means Scholarship for minority students by The Ministry of Minority Affairs • Maulana Azad Fellowship Scheme for M.Phil. and Ph.D. Student • Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Balighan to improve literacy in Muslims, especially among women. • Jan Shikshan Sansthans is for imparting vocational training among Muslim dominated districts in India. • Block Institutes of Teachers Education (BITEs ) in minority concentration areas • Women’s hostels minority concentration districts. • Madarsa Modernisation for Providing Quality Education in Madarsas (SPQEM) • Coaching and Allied Scheme • Maulana Azad Educational Foundation (MAEF) 11
Skill Development • Multi sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) for establishing ITIs and Polytechnics • Learn & Earn Scheme for skill development of minorities Access to Credit • Priority Sector Lending scheme to minority communities is covered under weaker sections category of Priority Sector Lending • Public sector banks will be advised to open more branches in Muslim concentration areas. 12
Special Development Initiatives • Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) was launched in 90 identified minority concentration districts (MCDs). Waqf • The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2010 has been passed by both the Houses of Parliament, and Waqf Amendment Act has been enacted. 13
Status of Minorities in India Population Poverty Employment Education 14
Population by Religion in India- 2001 and 2012 Population Size (In Population Distribution 2012 Religious Million)- 2001 (%) -2001 Groups Total Rural Urban Total Rural Urban Total Hindu 828 611 216 80.5 82.3 75.6 81.2 Muslim 138 89 49 13.4 12.0 17.3 13.9 Christian 24 16 8 2.3 2.1 2.9 2.1 Sikh 19 14 5 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.6 Buddhist 8 5 3 0.8 0.7 1.1 0.6 Jain 4 1 3 0.4 0.1 1.1 -- Other 7 6 1 0.6 0.8 0.2 0.5 Religion 1 1 0 0.1 0.1 0.1 NA Not Mentioned All 1029 742 286 100 100 100 100 15 Source: NSS EUS, 68 th round Source: Census of India, 2001
Level of Urbanisation across Religious Groups in India- 2001 Source: Census of India, 2001 16
Poverty across Religious Groups in India- 2012 Religion Rural Urban Total Hindu 25.6 12.1 21.9 Muslim 26.9 22.7 25.4 Christian 22.2 5.5 16.4 Sikh 6.2 5.0 5.9 Buddhist 24.2 24.8 24.4 Others 33.6 6.2 18.5 Total 25.4 13.7 22.0 Source: NSS Consumption Expenditure Survey, 68 th round Note: Based on official poverty line using Tendulkar Methodology 17
Poverty across Religious groups by Household Type in Rural India- 2012 Household Type Hindu Muslim Christian Sikh Buddhist Others Total Self-emp in Agri 22.2 23.8 30.0 0.5 18.7 52.5 22.2 Self-emp in Non-Agri 18.3 21.9 10.5 1.7 9.5 2.1 18.6 Regular wage earning 11.4 11.8 10.6 3.6 3.2 2.8 11.1 Casual labour in Agri 39.8 44.2 26.2 15.5 47.9 5.2 39.8 Casual labour in Non-Agri 33.1 34.0 26.4 16.1 14.0 57.7 32.7 Others 19.7 13.7 5.6 2.1 0.5 10.3 17.8 Total 25.6 26.9 22.2 6.2 24.2 33.6 25.4 Source: NSS Consumption Expenditure Survey, 68 th round Note: Based on official poverty line using Tendulkar Methodology 18
Poverty across Religious groups by Household Type in Urban India- 2012 Household Hindu Muslim Christian Sikh Buddhist Others Total Type Self- 12.7 23.6 8.2 3.9 17.0 7.8 14.8 employed Regular Wage 5.8 15.8 4.4 2.9 12.1 2.1 6.9 Earning Casual labour 32.8 35.9 3.8 26.4 52.2 33.0 32.9 Others 7.7 10.7 6.1 1.3 27.5 3.4 8.2 Total 12.1 22.7 5.5 5.0 24.8 6.2 13.7 Source: NSS Consumption Expenditure Survey, 68 th round Note: Based on official poverty line using Tendulkar Methodology 19
Work Participation Rate by Religious Groups in India- 2012 Religion Male Female Total Hindu 54.8 22.7 39.2 Muslim 51.1 13.4 32.8 Christian 53.7 27.1 40.3 Sikh 56.3 22.3 40.2 Buddhist 54.3 34.2 45.0 Others 58.0 21.7 39.9 Total 54.3 21.5 38.4 Source: NSS employment and unemployment Survey, 68 th round 20
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