January February 2007 
Year 13    No.122

The Rajindar Sachar Committee Report


Recommendations 

1. The Context

This report has probed the question of whether different socio-religious categories (SRCs) in India have had an equal chance to reap the benefits of development, with a focus on Muslims in India. It was stated at the outset that minorities have to grapple with issues relating to identity, security and equity. It was also recognized that these three sets of issues are inter-related. But since the mandate of this Committee is primarily on equity, the Report essentially deals with relative deprivation of Muslims vis-à-vis other SRCs in various dimensions of development. It may also be useful to recall the distinction made in the introductory chapter between issues that are common to all poor people and those that are specific to minorities, especially Muslims.

Our analysis shows that while there is considerable variation in the conditions of Muslims across states, (and among the Muslims, those who identified themselves as OBCs and others), the Community exhibits deficits and deprivation in practically all dimensions of development. In fact, by and large, Muslims rank somewhat above SCs/STs but below Hindu-OBCs, Other Minorities and Hindu-General (mostly upper castes) in almost all indicators considered. Among the states that have large Muslim populations, the situation is particularly grave in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Assam. Interestingly, despite such deficits, the Community has lower infant mortality rates and sex-ratios. In addition to the ‘development deficit’, the perception among Muslims that they are discriminated against and excluded is widespread, which exacerbates the problem.

The Committee strongly suggests that the policies to deal with the relative deprivation of the Muslims in the country should sharply focus on inclusive development and ‘mainstreaming’ of the Community while respecting diversity. There is an urgent need to recognize diversity in residential, work and educational spaces, apart from enhancing inclusion of the really deprived SRCs in ‘spaces’ created by public programmes and policy interventions. The need for equity and inclusion in a pluralistic society can never be overemphasized. But the mechanisms to ensure equity and equality of opportunity to bring about inclusion should be such that diversity is achieved and at the same time the perception of discrimination is eliminated. This is only possible when the importance of Muslims as an intrinsic part of the diverse Indian social mosaic is squarely recognized.

Given this context, the policy perspectives and recommendations discussed below fall into two broad categories:

Ø General policy initiatives/approaches that cut across different aspects of socio-economic and educational development analysed in the Report; and

Ø Specific policy measures that deal with particular issues and/or dimensions (e.g., education, credit, etc.) covered in the Report.

2. General Policy Initiatives and Approaches

We discuss here a set of overarching initiatives that are of importance on their own and would also enhance the efficacy of more specific instruments discussed later.

2.1 Need for Transparency, Monitoring and Data Availability

Availability of reliable data on a continuing basis across SRCs on socio-economic conditions, participation in government programmes and the like is critical for designing appropriate policies, ensuring transparency and effectively monitoring various initiatives and programmes. In other words, availability of detailed data is a prerequisite for good governance. Availability of such data would also make policy instruments like the Right to Information Act more efficacious. The Committee had faced the acute problem of non-availability of reliable data and, therefore, had to launch an independent effort to collect, collate and consolidate available data. The data obtained through these mechanisms with considerable difficulty was still not exhaustive enough to analyse several issues to our satisfaction. There is an immediate need, therefore, to make arrangements to collect data for different SRCs on a regular basis and make it available to researchers and the public.

We recommend a creation of a National Data Bank (NDB) where all relevant data for various SRCs are maintained. All the data should be eventually computerized and made available on the Internet. The Census, the National Accounts Statistics (NAS) and NSSO are the most important sources of large-scale good quality data but they are not able to readily provide data on crucial variables to assess the social, economic and educational conditions according to SRCs. There is an urgent need, therefore, to assess afresh the data needs for evaluating conditions of citizens by SRC status on a regular basis so as to understand and assess the flow of development benefits. The NDB should also be the repository of data on different beneficiary-oriented government programmes undertaken at the national and the state levels along with the details of beneficiaries drawn from different SRCs. Details of employment, credit flows, programme participation, etc. should also be shared by various national and state agencies and undertakings with the NDB. For this purpose, the NDB should have the resources and authority to access data from other agencies identified above as well as to obtain required information from government departments both at the Centre and the state levels. In fact, it should be obligatory on the part of the relevant departments of the Central and state governments to supply the information to the NDB. While the Central Statistical Commission which has been set up recently could provide the broad framework, the NDB should function as an autonomous body.

Once such data are available there is a need to institutionalize the mechanisms for assessment and monitoring in order to suggest policy options on a timely basis. The Committee recommends the setting up of an autonomous Assessment and Monitoring Authority (AMA) to evaluate the extent of development benefits which accrue to different SRCs through various programmes. Academics, professionals, civil society organizations along with state authorities as the official members can be part of this Authority and perform a watch-dog function which closely monitors the participation of various SRCs in both state and Central level programme implementation. As the government and public records are being digitized it would be possible for the AMA to monitor ‘diversity’ in participation on a regular basis. The digitization will also facilitate monitoring at all levels of governance particularly the panchayats and nagar palikas, districts and of course the states and the Centre. While monitoring should be done on a concurrent basis, an elaborate monitoring exercise should be undertaken every five years. The results of this exercise can be profitably utilized for reformulation of policies, if required.

2.2 Enhancing the Legal Basis for Providing Equal Opportunities

The widespread perception of discrimination among the Muslim community needs to be addressed. There are hardly any empirical studies that establish discrimination.

(A recent study shows that despite the presence of eligible persons in the villages in Gujarat that she studied, there were no Muslim beneficiaries in the Self Help Groups (SHG) programme and not a single Below Poverty Line (BPL) card was issued to them. See Nikita Sud (2004), ‘There are no non-Gujaratis in this village’/ ‘We can recognize a Waghri from his chaal’: Constructing and Contesting a Gujarati-Hindu Identity. Paper prepared for the workshop on ‘Engagements with Tradition in the Gujarati World’, School of Oriental and African Studies, London.)

Research in this area needs to be encouraged but is particularly difficult at the moment due to non-availability of data. Hopefully, better availability of data would result in more studies in this area. While equity in the implementation of programmes and better participation of the Community in the development process would gradually eliminate this perception of discrimination, there is a need to strengthen the legal provisions to eliminate such cases.

The Indian Constitution in ‘Part-III - Fundamental Rights’ has exhaustively provided not only for equality of all citizens irrespective of their religion but has also provided special provisions for protecting the rights of minorities in respect of their religion, language and culture. Thus, any violation of the rights of the minority by the State could be challenged in a court of law. There are also institutions like National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Commission for Minorities (NCM) to look into complaints made by the minorities with respect to the State action. But, these mechanisms can only have a limited role and cannot look into many complaints arising on a day-to-day basis against non-State agencies. The minorities, many a time, may feel that there is discrimination against them in the matter of employment, housing, for obtaining loans from the public or private sector banks, or opportunities for good schooling. It is self-evident that if minorities have these perceptions, law must provide an effective mechanism which should examine their complaints and be able to give effective relief. It is imperative that if the minorities have certain perceptions of being aggrieved, all efforts should be made by the State to find a mechanism by which these complaints could be attended to expeditiously. This mechanism should operate in a manner which gives full satisfaction to the minorities that any denial of equal opportunities or bias or discrimination in dealing with them, either by public functionary or any private individual, will immediately be attended to and redress given. Such a mechanism should be accessible to all individuals and institutions desirous to complain that they have received less favourable treatment from any employer or any person on the basis of his/her SRC background and gender.

It is wrong to assume that there is an inevitable conflict between the interests of majority and minority communities in the country. This is flawed reasoning and assumption. Deprivation, poverty and discrimination may exist among all SRCs although in different proportions. But the fact of belonging to a minority community has, it cannot be denied, an in-built sensitivity to discrimination. This sensitivity is natural and may exist among religious minorities in any country. Recognizing this reality is not pandering to the minorities nor sniping at the majority. This recognition is only an acceptance of reality. It is a well-accepted maxim in law that not only must justice be done but it must appear to be done. It is in that context that the Committee recommends that an Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) should be constituted by the government to look into the grievances of the deprived groups. An example of such a policy tool is the UK Race Relations Act, 1976. While providing a redressal mechanism for different types of discrimination, this will give a further reassurance to the minorities that any unfair action against them will invite the vigilance of the law.

2.3 Enhancing Participation in Governance

One reason for less than adequate participation in the development process may be due to inadequate participation in the governance structures. The Indian democracy provides opportunities for communities and groups of various social, economic and political orientations to democratically get elected and participate in different levels of ‘governance’ beginning from the grass roots to the state and national level political structures. Thus, democratic participation is possible for all communities within the country at a number of levels - national, the states/union territories and at the grass roots. The local self-governments - panchayats and zilla parishads in rural areas, and municipalities and corporations in urban areas - are crucial instruments in this context. Besides these institutions of parliamentary democracy, there are a number of para-governmental institutions which run on the principles of electoral democracy and public representation. For example, a cooperative society established for the purpose of providing finance for development in a locality can elect its own representatives from among its residents. In a society characterized by considerable socio-cultural complexity, such as the one we have in India, democratic processes founded on universal adult franchise often fail to provide opportunities to ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities for getting elected and becoming part of the governance structure because of their low population shares. Over the last sixty years minorities have scarcely occupied adequate public spaces. The participation of Muslims in nearly all political spaces is low, which can have an adverse impact on the Indian society and polity in the long run. The marginalized either have inadequate numbers that comes in the way of making their presence felt in the normal course of governance or they are not politically empowered. Given the power of numbers in a democratic polity based on universal franchise, minorities in India lack effective agency and political importance. They do not have the necessary influence or the opportunity to either change or even influence events which enables their meaningful and active participation in development process. Therefore, there is a strong case to put mechanisms in place that enable them to engage in democratic processes at various levels of polity and governance. Mere material change will not bring about the true empowerment of the minorities; they need to acquire and be given the required collective agency.

Formulating and Implementing New Nomination Procedures

For increased participation it is imperative that there is a corresponding representation in governance structures. A carefully conceived ‘nomination’ procedure can be worked out to increase the participation of minorities at the grass roots. Mechanisms should be put in place so that a larger number of minorities are indeed nominated so as to increase their participation in public bodies. The Committee recommends that on the lines of initiatives taken by the Andhra Pradesh government, appropriate state level laws can be enacted to ensure minority representation in local bodies. Each state implementing this provision may need to recognize both linguistic and religious minorities. This effort on the part of the government to enhance diversity in the local governance structures leading to the visible participation of minority communities would go a long way in building an atmosphere of trust and faith and will yield extraordinary results enabling India to be a vibrant democracy.

Establishing a More Rational Procedure for Delimitation of Constituencies

The Committee also recommends the elimination of the anomalies with respect to reserved constituencies under the delimitation schemes discussed in Chapter 2. A more rational delimitation procedure that does not reserve constituencies with high minority population shares for SCs will improve the opportunity for the minorities, especially the Muslims, to contest and get elected to the Indian Parliament and the State Assemblies. Apart from these two initiatives it is important to evolve other methods to enhance political participation of the Community.

2.4 Shared Spaces: Need to Enhance Diversity

There is an urgent need to enhance diversity in living, educational and work spaces. A variety of initiatives may be required for this purpose, some of which are discussed later in this chapter. With increasing ghettoization and limited participation of certain SRCs in regular employment and educational institutions, the spaces available for interaction among SRCs have shrunk. Efforts are required to recreate and enhance such spaces. Enhancement of diversity in different spaces should be seen as a larger policy objective. And in this context, while SRCs can be the core element for defining diversity, in specific contexts (say employment and education), gender should also be included. The challenge is to develop an index of diversity that is transparent and easy to implement.

Linking Incentives to Diversity

The idea of providing certain incentives to a ‘diversity index’ should be explored. Admittedly, this is a complex proposition but if a transparent and acceptable method to measure diversity can be developed, a wide variety of incentives can be linked to this index so as to ensure equal opportunity to all SRCs in the areas of education, government & private employment and housing. The diversity principle which entails equity is to be applied not only between the majority and minorities but also between minorities so that the truly disadvantaged can and should benefit. Given an acceptable diversity index, policies can provide for:

Ø Incentives in the form of larger grants to those educational institutions that have higher diversity and are able to sustain it. These incentives can apply to both colleges and universities, both in the public and the private sector.

Ø Incentives to private sector to encourage diversity in the work force. While such initiatives should be part of the corporate social responsibility, some affirmative action may help initiate this process.

Ø Incentives to builders for housing complexes that have more ‘diverse’ resident populations to promote ‘composite living spaces’ of SRCs.

Facilitate Creation of Common Public Spaces

Most poor children do not have access to parks, libraries and even study spaces within their own houses. Such spaces can enhance interaction among SRCs and also provide the much needed fillip to educational initiatives; such spaces can be used by the community or civil society to organize remedial classes, reading rooms and other constructive initiatives. The State should encourage such initiatives in mixed localities and across neighbourhoods so that children belonging to different SRCs can interact and at the same time pursue studies. These spaces can also be used for interaction and constructive activities among adults of different SRCs. Such initiatives are essentially a domain of civil society but mechanisms to encourage such activities through provision of unused/vacant municipal premises/land etc. can be quite useful.

(One such experiment with community participation is being successfully run in parts of Gujarat by the Society for Promotion of Rational Thinking (SPRAT).)

Part of the funds earmarked for the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) can be used for this purpose.

Sensitization-Related Initiatives
In order to respect and sustain diversity in the development and implementation of innovative programmes or in the provision of services, the relevant functionaries should be sensitive to the need to have diversity and the problems associated with social exclusion. It is important to sensitize state and other functionaries on these issues. A large-scale programme for sensitization of various staff members, especially those who come in public contact on a regular basis is desirable, with a focus on health personnel, teachers, police and other security personnel.

3. Specific Policy Initiatives

While the initiatives discussed in Section 2 would provide a broad thrust to diversity, equity and inclusiveness, specific policy interventions in the areas of education, employment, credit etc. will also be required to complement them. Two points need to be emphasized at the outset. One, the policy measures suggested below and outlined above will have a better impact if they are adopted together and not in a piecemeal manner. Two, there is a need to focus more sharply on issues relating to women in each of the initiatives discussed in this section.

3.1 Criticality of Education

Access to education is critical for benefiting from emerging opportunities that are accompanied by economic growth. The report brings out clearly the educational deprivation experienced by the Muslim community. From lower levels of enrolment to a sharp decline in participation in higher levels of education, the situation of Indian Muslims is indeed very depressing as compared to most other SRCs; in fact their situation seems to have worsened in relative terms. And the problem is more acute for girls/women. Reasons for this are varied - ranging from poverty to perceived discrimination resulting in alienating school environment. While the overall situation remains bad, the enrolment rates of Muslims have picked up in recent years and the policies should help sustain the momentum that can get created through this change. Our analysis also shows that the major problems lie in school education; the likelihood of Muslim children completing school education is significantly lower than other SRCs, except SCs/STs, once factors like household expenditure, place of residence, gender etc. are controlled for. Once the "hurdle" of school education is crossed, the differences across most SRCs in the likelihood of completing graduate studies narrow down and are at times not very significant. Therefore, a sharper focus on school education is desirable.

Free and compulsory education up to the age of 14 is the responsibility of the State. And the fulfilment of this obligation is critical for the improvements in the educational conditions of Muslims, in fact, of all socio-economically deprived children. In addition, a sharper focus on a few areas listed below is desirable.

Adequate Reflection of Social Diversity in the Content of School Textbooks

The school textbook is one of the most enduring influences in the formative years of childhood. Along with the family, the school teaches the child not only the three Rs but values and attitudes that shape the child’s character and create a sense of values. Given the influence of the textbook, the Committee feels that it can work as an important instrument of imparting social values. The textbook should not only reflect reality but also help in creating appropriate values. Since the children tend to read their textbooks several times, their familiarity with the text is significant and acts to reinforce the values being suggested in the text. If the texts do not reflect diversity or are derogatory with respect to specific communities, they can alienate children of those communities from wider society. Simple things in the textbooks can sow the seeds for religious intolerance, create caste bias and/or reduce sensitivity to gender differences, while the intent and purpose of texts should be to do just the opposite. The Committee recommends that a process of evaluating the content of the school textbooks needs to be initiated to purge them of explicit and implicit content that may impart inappropriate social values, especially religious intolerance. (A very systematic effort of this kind has been done by Samaan, an NGO based in Calcutta, for the State board textbooks (Class 7-10) in West Bengal.)

Initiatives in School Education
Muslims have the largest percentage share of children in the age group of less than 10 years with 27 percent falling in this range as compared to the 23 percent for the country as a whole. However, the current enrolment and continuation rates at elementary level (though picking up in recent years) are the lowest for the Muslims. These facts make primary education particularly important for the Community and the need to ensure that all children in the age group 0-14 have access to free and high quality education more urgent. In addition, the following initiatives are desirable:

Ø Given the fact that a substantial proportion of households in urban settlements live in one-room accommodation it is absolutely necessary to create local community study centres for students so that they can spend a few hours to concentrate on their studies. This is an area in which the government, NGOs and the corporate sector can cooperate.

Ø High quality Government schools should be set up in all areas of Muslim concentration.

Ø Exclusive schools for girls should be set up, particularly for the 9-12 standards. This would facilitate higher participation of Muslim girls in school education. In co-education schools more women teachers need to be appointed.

Ø Availability of primary education in one’s mother tongue is constitutionally provided for. There is an urgent need to undertake appropriate mapping of Urdu speaking population and provide primary education in Urdu in areas where Urdu speaking population is concentrated.

Once again utilization of JNNURM funds for this purpose should be explored.

Technical Education and Training for Non-matriculates

As noted in the chapter on education, majority of Muslim girls and boys fail in their matriculation examinations or drop out before that. This group of children who have completed middle school but have not managed to study further needs to be incorporated in different types of technical training. The skill demands in the manufacturing and service sectors are changing continuously. And for many of these, highly educated/trained persons may not be required and youth with middle school education with adequate technical training may be appropriate for meeting these needs. However, almost all vocational training programmes run by the ITI’s and polytechnics require a matriculation certificate. The Committee recommends that:

Ø The pre-entry qualification for admission to ITIs should be reduced to Class VIII. The scope of ITI courses should be expanded to focus on emerging market needs including those of the retail sector.

Ø Skill development initiatives of ITIs and polytechnics should focus on sectors which have high growth potential and in which the Muslim population is concentrated. These training initiatives should also focus on areas where the minority population is concentrated.

Ø The eligibility for such programmes should also be extended to the Madarsa educated children, as they are ineligible to get trained under many current formal technical education streams.

Initiatives for Higher Education

Our analysis has shown that there is a high "deficit" as far as Muslim population in higher education is concerned. And this "deficit" is higher than for all SRCs except SCs/STs. It has been already mentioned that the best long term measure to correct this deficit is to increase school completion rates among the Muslims. In the medium and short run, a two prong strategy can be employed:

Strategy No. 1: The University Grants Commission (UGC) should be encouraged to evolve a system where part of the allocation to colleges and universities is linked to the diversity in the student population. Even private colleges, including those run by the minorities and which have affiliation with universities or are recognized by state bodies can be provided additional funds if they have a diverse student population and charge reasonable fees. As mentioned earlier, an appropriate diversity index will need to be developed for such purposes. It is advisable that the UGC undertakes a proactive exercise to sensitize the educational institutions with respect to the need to reflect diversity on these campuses.

The Muslims of some states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu have established a number of ‘minority managed professional institutions’ which have opened up avenues for higher education for Muslims and other minorities. They need to get encouragement as community initiatives but even these institutions need to have diverse populations. Government financial aid to these institutions can be linked to low tuition and other fees and partly to diversity of student population. These ‘minority institutions’ are typically inaccessible to the poor from these communities. Low fees combined with merit-cum-means scholarships (partly funded from the additional government grants) would enhance participation of poor among the minorities.

Strategy No. 2: To facilitate admissions for the ‘most backward’ amongst all the SRCs in the regular universities and autonomous colleges, alternate admission criteria need to be evolved.

This system should help the poor among all communities. As a complement to the first strategy, part of state funding can also be linked to the use of such criteria in admissions by the educational institutions.

Provision of Hostels
Providing hostel facilities at reasonable costs for students from minorities must be taken up on a priority basis. While this is required for all minority students, such facilities for girls in cities of all sizes are particularly desirable. The availability of such hostels would ensure that many girls would continue schooling (beyond secondary/college education) as they would not have to commute on a daily basis to access educational institutions located at a distance from their place of residence. Hostels are equally important in the context of boys accessing college education. High rents in cities are a deterrent for those from lower income households to access higher levels of education. Besides the high cost are other factors, like reluctance to accept Muslims as tenants, which make it difficult for them to rent accommodation. Ideally, the provision of such facilities should be made in partnership with the Community; the State can facilitate Community initiatives in this area through grants and other support. The taluka headquarters and educational centres would be the best locations for such facilities.

Another possibility is to create boarding houses for backward SRCs in taluka headquarters where a large number of poor minority and other children can stay and study in local schools. This may reduce dropout rates and ensure retention in school up to higher secondary levels. Apart from taking the children out of the ghettos, such facilities would ensure that the backlog of parental illiteracy will not negatively impact the performance of these children because of the ‘learning friendly’ atmosphere in these hostels. In fact, tutors can be provided for remedial classes in these boarding houses to supplement and monitor their studies.

For both these initiatives allocations can be made from the special funds earmarked by the Centre for the upliftment of the educational status of educationally backward groups. Once again, participation of the Community should be encouraged. Muslim Wakfs should be encouraged to utilize their assets for this endeavour. In addition, donations from NGOs and multilateral organizations can also be utilized.

Teacher Training Programme
Teacher training should compulsorily include in its curriculum components which introduce the importance of diversity/plurality within the country and sensitize teachers towards the needs and aspirations of Muslims and other marginalized communities. The implementation of this should be monitored by the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE). The other issue is that of dearth of Muslim school teachers, especially women. Given the current education levels, the possibility of more Muslims opting for B.Ed course is limited. But more Muslims may be able to participate as para teachers. An effort should be made to enhance participation of Muslims in this cadre as an interim measure.

There are only a few teachers who can teach in the Urdu medium. Given the commitment to provide primary education in the child’s mother tongue, the State is required to run Urdu medium schools. This in turn would require teachers capable of teaching in the Urdu medium. Preference to teachers who can instruct through the Urdu medium is desirable in all teacher training departments in states where the Urdu speaking population is substantial.

Interventions to Support the Urdu Language

While the Urdu language is not a language of the Muslims alone, contemporary circumstances make it appear to be so. The language has been neglected. The fallout of this has been inadequate access to education in the mother tongue for many Urdu speaking children. The neglect has also resulted in poor performance of Urdu medium school students because of poor infrastructural facilities and absence of adequate number of qualified teachers. As mentioned above, given the constitutional responsibility of the State, it is imperative that the Urdu language is supported to provide a regular stream of Urdu teachers. Moreover, for secondary education the distortions made in the Three Language Formula should be corrected in order to accommodate Urdu in schools of the Hindi region. In addition, three more measures are desirable:

Ø Often Urdu schools have teachers who have no knowledge of Urdu. This problem is partly compounded by the fact that posts of Urdu teachers are reserved for the SCs/STs and such candidates are not available. This anomaly needs to be corrected urgently.

Ø High quality Urdu medium schools can be opened in those parts of the country wherever there is demand for them. However, it needs to ensured that good quality textbooks are available in the Urdu language and the products of these schools are employable.

Ø Urdu should be introduced as an optional subject in all government and government-aided schools in states having a substantial Urdu speaking population.

Madarsas and Mainstream Education
Madarsas have played an important role in providing religious education to the Muslim population. They also provide ‘mainstream’ education in many cases and several of them are in the process of modernizing their curriculum. While this is an important initiative of the Community to improve educational conditions, it is important to take note of the fact that less than 4 percent of the Muslim children in the school going age actually attend the full-time regular Madarsas. Therefore, the modernized Madarsas are unlikely to satisfy the educational demand of the Community and the State will have to make provisions for mainstream schools in areas where such schools are not available. In other words, Madarsas should not to be looked upon as alternatives to the regular school, but a complement. The following steps seem desirable:

Ø Work out mechanisms whereby Madarsas can be linked with a higher secondary school board so that students wanting to shift to a regular/mainstream education can do so after having passed from a Madarsa.

Ø Provision of "equivalence" to Madarsa certificates/degrees for subsequent admissions into institutions of higher level of education. Flexibility should be introduced so as to enable Madarsa graduates to move across to regular mainstream education after graduating from these institutions, if they so wish. In other words the opportunity should be made available to them, especially in courses where admission is done through an entrance test/competitive examination.

Ø Recognition of the degrees from Madarsas for eligibility in competitive examinations such as the Civil Services, Banks, Defence Services and other such examinations. The idea is to facilitate a process whereby Madarsa graduates too have a choice and an incentive to participate in these employment streams. This should, however, remain within the existing framework of these competitive examinations.

Ø In the 1990s government introduced a scheme for modernization of Madarsas. This was a step in the right direction but it was robbed of part of its utility because of some deficiencies relating for example to choice of subjects, quality of teachers, accommodation of the modern subjects in a timetable intensely packed with traditional subjects. Government will be well advised to review and revamp the scheme before embarking on its expansion.

3.2 Enhancing Access to Credit and Government Programmes

The chapters on Bank Credit and Government Programmes have highlighted the fact that flow of credit to Muslims is quite limited. While part of this could possibly be due to lower demand for credit due to low income levels of the Community, low access to credit cannot be ignored. Lack of access to credit is a more serious problem for the Community as a significantly larger proportion of workers are engaged in self-employment, especially home-based work. Therefore, non-availability of credit can have far-reaching implications for the socio-economic and educational status of the Community. Wherever comparative analysis between Muslims and other minorities has been carried out, it has been shown that the access of other minorities to credit from banks and other programmes is far better than Muslims and they are at times the principal beneficiaries of some programmes wherever targeting has been done. In some programmes where Muslims have received an adequate share of credit, the total flow of funds has been low. The chapter on Poverty has also shown higher presence of Muslims in ‘persons below poverty line’. Keeping in mind these empirical facts, the following recommendations can be made:

Ø Several complaints about the exclusion of Muslim concentrated areas from the activities of the banks have been reported to the Committee. To partly address at least this perception, a simple regulation on the lines of the one adopted by the government of the United States, is desirable. All banks should be required to provide information to anyone who asks about the localities to which loans have been disbursed. If sharing information with the individuals can add significantly to the transaction costs, such information can be provided to the Reserve Bank of India, which in turn can provide this information to others under the Right to Information Act. The information regarding the SRC background of customers and clients should also be maintained by the banks and made available to the RBI. It is not required to provide information on individual accounts but aggregated across SRCs.

Ø The Committee, therefore, recommends promoting and enhancing access to Muslims in Priority Sector Advances. Any shortfall in achievement of targeted amounts in minority specific programmes should be parked with NMDFC, NABARD and SIDBI, and specific programmes should be funded with this amount. However, the real need is for policy initiatives that improve the participation and share of the Minorities, particularly Muslims, in the business of regular commercial banks. Since the size of the credit flows through regular banking channels is much higher than various community specific programmes, higher participation of minorities will result in larger gains to them.

Ø Analysis of the Census of India 2001 results has indicated that banking facilities are inversely correlated to the proportion of the Muslim population in a village/locality. This issue should be addressed on a priority basis by providing incentives to banks to open more branches in Muslim concentration areas. Instead of reporting ‘Amount Outstanding’, the RBI periodic reports on Priority Sector Advances should contain data on ‘Sanctions or Disbursements to Minorities’ in the reporting period, along with the ‘amount outstanding’. The modified reports on priority sector advances should also segregate figures furnished under ‘Others’ to reflect the deployment of funds by banks in institutions like NABARD and other financial institutions.

Ø The Committee also recommends that the coverage under Public Programmes should be extended to include more schemes and should also include lending by NABARD and SIDBI. SIDBI should set aside a fund for training for minorities under its Entrepreneurial Development Programme. Such programmes should not only aim to improve skills of artisans in traditional occupations but also re-equip them with modern skills required to face the adverse effects of globalization in their area of artisanship. Given the substantial presence of Muslims in these occupational groups special attention should be given to them.

Ø While the available data is inadequate, there is a widespread perception that the participation of Muslims in the Self Help Groups (SHGs) and other micro credit programmes is very limited. (See Sud (2004), for some instances showing lower participation of Muslims in SHGs.)

A policy to enhance the participation of minorities in the micro credit schemes of NABARD should be laid down. This policy should spell out the intervention required by NABARD through a mix of target and incentive schemes based on the population percentage of Muslims in the village in order to enhance the participation of Muslims in micro credit. In any case, data on the participation of different SRCs in such schemes should be collected and shared with the RBI or the NDB. The implementation of such schemes may need to be tailored to specific situations.

(For example, quantitative targets with respect to the minimum number of SHGs to be formed may be set for villages with more than 50% Muslim population. Given the dominance of Muslims in the population, this will automatically enable the inclusion of Muslims into the micro credit movement. In villages where Muslims constitute 25-50% of the population, the intervention strategy should be based on assessments of the socio-economic profile of Muslims. Multi-dimensional targets may have to be set, based on self-set targets to increase Muslim participation. In villages with less than 25% Muslim population, Self Help Promotional Institutions to form, train, educate and motivate SHGs to establish credit linkages could be offered financial incentives to increase Muslim participation. Since Muslims are mainly concentrated in the non-farm sector, activity specific schemes should be introduced. Blocks/Clusters should be mapped according to artisanal activities. In order to face competition, intervention strategies should address their problems through training, skill up-gradation and marketing.)

Ø The detailed analysis of Muslim participation in government employment and other programmes has shown very limited participation in both. While no discrimination is being alleged, it may be desirable to have experts drawn from the Community on relevant interview panels and Boards. This practice is already in vogue in the case of SCs/STs.

Ø There is a need to revise the coverage of districts under the Prime Minister’s 15 Point Programme based on the Census 2001 data. The Committee recommends that all 58 districts with more than 25% Muslim population should be brought under the 15 Point Programme. A special assistance package for the development of these districts should be launched. The same principle might be applied to units taluka/block with similar concentration of Muslims.

Ø There should be transparency in information about minorities in all activities. It should be made mandatory to publish/furnish information in a prescribed format once in three months and also to post the same on the website of the departments and state governments. There should be provision for reporting default and delays in processing/rejection of application at the state/district/block levels. In line with the thrust towards greater transparency, applicants should also have full right to information about the status of their applications. The information regarding the application and the processing stage should be made known to the applicant on request. This information should also be made available through the website and touch screens to the applicants. This is a far-reaching measure which will benefit not only Muslims but all communities.

Ø The review of Government programmes suggests that Muslims have not benefited much from them. At times the Muslims do not have adequate participation as beneficiaries; when participation is adequate, the total amounts allocated to the programme are too low to make any meaningful impact. The current formats in which the data are kept do not permit easy assessment of the benefits that have accrued to various SRCs. Detailed data should be collected regularly on the participation of different SRCs in government programmes, both at the state and the Central level. As suggested earlier such data should be made available to the NDB which will maintain it and make it available to users.

Ø Last but not the least, although there are many Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and Central Plan Schemes (CPS) available for the welfare of SCs, STs and OBCs, such schemes for the welfare of minorities are rare. Even the available schemes are inadequately funded. Overall, targeting backward districts and clusters where special artisanal groups exist will ensure a sharp reduction in disparities of access and attainment. The Central Government should introduce a few schemes with large outlays for welfare of minorities with an equitable provision for Muslims.

3.3 Improving Employment Opportunities and Conditions

The country is going through a high growth phase. This is the time to help the underprivileged to utilize new opportunities through skill development and education. A large segment of the Muslim community is engaged in self-employment activities. Besides, a significant proportion, especially women, is actually engaged in home-based work. While some of these workers are engaged in sectors that have experienced growth, many are engaged in occupations/sectors that are stagnant. The policy intervention needs to help workers engaged in growth-oriented sectors to become part of the larger network of market-oriented firms engaged in that sector. For those caught in the stagnant sectors, a transition path will have to be evolved. Skill up-gradation, education and credit availability referred to earlier will have an important role in both these strategies. The other deficit is in regular employment, as a very small proportion of Muslim workers are engaged in regular work, especially in salaried jobs with the public sector or the large private sector. The conditions of work of not only the self-employed Muslim workers but also the regular workers are precarious.

Given these conditions, the following initiatives seem desirable:

Ø Provide financial and other support to initiatives built around occupations where Muslims are concentrated and that have growth potential. These initiatives can take the form of interventions where existing skills of the workers are combined with knowledge of modern management practices, new technology and emerging market needs. Such initiatives need State support but market orientation of such initiatives is critical for their success. In specific contexts the skilled persons benefiting by these interventions may consist of youth who have not had adequate schooling. In these situations the intervention may need to include some educational content as an essential concomitant.

Ø While initiatives of the kind discussed in the earlier point can also be undertaken in areas/clusters which have large concentrations of Muslim population, a few more cluster/area specific initiatives are desirable. Since skill up-gradation needs might be high in such clusters, location of ITIs, polytechnics and other institutions that provide skill training to non-matriculates need to be located here. Availability of such institutions in the vicinity would not only help those sections of the workers who are involved in growth-oriented industries but also those who wish to move to new sectors through skill formation or up-gradation.

Ø Given the precarious conditions of the self-employed persons in the informal sector, especially the home-based workers, it is desirable to have a mandated social security system for such workers. Casual workers in the informal sector should also be able to participate in such schemes. Since the State is already thinking of such a scheme, an early implementation would benefit a large section of the Muslim population along with helping the larger segment of the informal sector workforce. (See Social Security for the Unorganized Sector, National Commission of Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector, Government of India, New Delhi, May 2006.)

Ø A more transparent recruitment system will help to build public confidence in the system. It is not being suggested that inclusion of minorities in selection committees will improve the chances that Muslims will get selected, it can surely improve the confidence of Muslim applicants during the selection process.

Ø It is imperative to increase the employment share of Muslims particularly in contexts where there is a great deal of public dealing. Their public visibility will endow the larger Muslim community with a sense of confidence and involvement and help them in accessing these facilities in larger numbers and greater proportion. To achieve this, efforts should be made to increase the employment share of Muslims amongst the teaching community, health workers, police personnel, bank employees and so on. Employers should be encouraged to endorse their organizations as ‘Equal Opportunity Institutions’ so that applicants from all SRCs may apply. A time bound effort in this direction is desirable.

Ø As our data shows, when Muslims appear for the prescribed tests and interviews their success rate is appreciable. This applies both to public and private sector jobs. Some simple measures like undertaking a visible recruitment process in areas and districts with high percentage of Muslims, job advertisements in Urdu and vernacular newspapers and other media, or simple messages like ‘women, minority, and backward class candidates are encouraged to apply’ may create an atmosphere of trust and confidence. Similarly, not as a measure to eliminate discrimination but as an initiative to build confidence, it may be useful to have at least one Muslim inspector/sub-inspector in the Muslim concentrated Thanas, Muslim health personnel in health units located in such areas, a few Muslim teachers in schools located in such areas and so on.

3.4 Enhancing the Efficacy of Infrastructure Provision

Inadequate availability of infrastructure is one of the many problems that Muslims share with all poor, especially the disadvantaged SRCs in the country. While the number of service providers from the non-governmental organizations is on the rise, public provision of infrastructure remains critical and desirable. Sensitivity to the issues of different SRCs is very important to the delivery of services such as primary education, health, etc. Service providers face a number of difficulties in reaching out to the Muslim community for various reasons, ranging from a sheer lack of understanding of issues particular to the Community to lack of Muslim presence in the organization and a sense of suspicion which the Community may have towards them. It is alleged that in many situations, the service providers have inherent biases and show resistance to reach out to the Community. To correct this situation the following measures are suggested.

Ø Sensitization of the service staff regarding issues of social exclusion has already been mentioned and can be quite useful in reducing these problems.

Ø Credible NGOs, with necessary expertise, from the Muslim community are few and far between. But many face problems in getting their organizations registered. The registration of trusts set up by the Community, such as Wakf institutions and mosque committees, should be facilitated. These institutions, being closer to the community, can indeed play an important role as intermediaries between policy programmes announced by the government and their beneficiaries within the Muslim community. Besides, there is need to encourage the setting up of civil society organizations from amongst the Muslim community as well. But once again, the reach of such organizations is going to be very limited and the responsibility of the State in providing basic health and other infrastructure facilities remains the main hope of all poor, including Muslims.

Ø Lack of access to crucial infrastructural facilities is another matter of concern for the Muslims. Access to schools, health care, sanitation facilities, potable water and means of daily transportation are some of the basic facilities one can expect a state to provide for its citizens. Differentials in accessibility of infrastructural facilities vis-a-vis other SRCs has been discussed in Chapter 9 which shows relatively low access to such facilities for Muslims across India except in the state of Kerala. As is the case for some of the issues discussed above, as far as infrastructural facilities go there seems to be not much of an argument in building a case for Muslims alone. Wherever these facilities are lacking they impact the entire people in that vicinity/region who are dependent upon it. For example, if a Muslim concentration village does not have a school or a health care facility, then the other SRCs of that village are at an equal disadvantage as they too are bereft of this facility. The government would therefore be well advised that all villages/towns/habitations be provided with basic amenities, good quality government schools and health facilities, pucca approach roads and general improvement in living conditions (supply of electricity/housing/clean drinking water and sanitation). This is in the overall interest of India and not only of Muslims alone. Not providing these basic facilities is a violation of human rights.

3.5 Encouraging Community Initiatives

Many of the measures suggested above would become more efficacious if there is community participation. In fact, partnerships between the government, the community and the private sector may be quite useful to deal with problems faced by the Muslims. In this context, better utilization of Wakf properties can provide partnership opportunities. Large numbers of Wakf properties spread all over the country have been in a state of neglect. They have often been exploited by unscrupulous persons. This has been possible because the administration of Wakf properties has been slack. The report has pointed out the deficiencies and flaws in the management and suggested the necessary legal and administrative steps to remedy them. These would merit the immediate attention of the authorities so that better management of the properties results in raising resources for a number of welfare activities, some of which can be undertaken in partnership with the government and the private sector.

It is a matter of great satisfaction for this Committee that this report has addressed most of the problems that the Muslim community has been facing. It has made comprehensive recommendations for setting the Community on the road to progress. It is expected that the recommendations will receive the attention of the Central and the state governments and will be implemented with all the earnestness and the thoroughness that they deserve. It is also expected that the Report would invoke a positive response from Civil Society, which will ensure that the policy measures introduced by the State in pursuance of these recommendations receive full support and active cooperation from all sections of society, including the Muslim community. The issues relating to disparities across socio-religious communities are of utmost importance to our nation today. If this Report contributes in any way in constructively dealing with these issues and in facilitating a more informed discussion on them, the Committee’s efforts would be well rewarded.


[ Subscribe | Contact Us | Archives | Khoj | Aman ]
[ Letter to editor  ]

Copyrights © 2002, Sabrang Communications & Publishing Pvt. Ltd.