Muslim leaders to UPA: Take Mander’s report seriously

By TCN Staff Correspondent,

New Delhi: A cross section of the Muslims of India have expressed their deep concern over the Union government's summary and “unjust” rejection of the well researched Study titled, “Promises to Keep” done by India's eminent social activist Harsh Mander's Centre for Equity Studies (CES). At a meeting organized by Zakat Foundation of India (ZFI) chief, Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood, they demanded that the government should take the cue from the CES Report and substantially revise it's strategy for implementing the recommendations of the Sachar Committee in letter and spirit.

A former IAS officer and now a member of Sonia Gandhi led National Advisory Council, Mander's 91 page report only, at best confirms and at worst, reinforces the community’s perception that even nearly six years after the Sachar report, nothing much has been done on the ground by the government.

The speakers at the meeting lamented that rather than seriously examining the sympathetic and egalitarian sentiment behind this deeply thought out and well researched Study and the remedial measures suggested therein, the government has only tried to find statistical fault in the Report. The government had recently rejected the report, citing two reasons; the “factual inaccuracies” of the report and that plans can’t be made exclusively for a religious group.

In the meeting civil society representatives including Dr Zafrul Islam Khan, working president, All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, Mamdooha Majid, member of the Women's Cell in All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and writer Sadia Dehlvi, said that the political combine ruling at the centre seemed interested more in window dressing for vote-bank purposes: Muslims should just ‘feel good’ rather than getting their fundamental rights of equal educational and economic opportunities.

Based on a year long extensive survey done in large Muslim concentration districts of Mewat (Haryana), 24-Pargana (West Bengal) and Dhanbad (Bihar), the Study graphically dwells upon the factors because of which even after several plans like Multi-Sectoral Development Plans (MSDP) and PM’s 15 Point Programme, nothing much has changed on the ground.

At the meeting, Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood made a PowerPoint presentation on the investigations done by Harsh Mander's group on the Government's response to Sachar recommendations.

The Study says that the political valor and vision that informed the appointment of Sachar Committee is not matched by that required to build an appropriate and adequate response to the multiple development deficits suffered by the teeming majority of Indian Muslims. Right from the union ministry of minority affairs down to the district level and below, the officers lack conviction, clout and even a mandate to directly tackle the socio-economic structural discrimination and denial encountered by the Muslim community.

The CES administered study cites few reasons for this failure of the government’s programmes. For instance, the political managers of the ruling combine possibly caution against providing grist to the opposition’s charges of ‘minority appeasement’. They fear the political consequences of the government being seen as openly taking sides with a community which is currently stigmatized as regressive and violent, globally and nationally. Therefore they resort to small poorly budgeted almost token interventions, the Study eloquently testifies.

The Study adds, while behind the appointment of Sachar Committee, the policy effort was to address Muslim deprivation it, however, morphed into one for all minorities by the time the policy reached the program stage. In practice, the programs have reduced to area schemes that mostly miss even other minorities.

Also, there is complete disconnect between the minority welfare infrastructure and Muslim civil society. The government's efforts to create awareness about its schemes are either non existent or very poor. Same is the case with Muslim representation in decision making bodies.

They urged the National Advisory Council and its chairperson Sonia Gandhi to truly appreciate the valid concern expressed through the Report and issue the required policy guidelines to the central and state governments.

Dr Mahmood highlighted the specific instances noted down by Harsh Mander's group in different Muslim concentration districts. In Mewat (80% Muslim population), his team found Schools in dilapidated conditions. However, the funds granted for minority development were spent in the neighboring wealthy non-Muslim villages.

In Darbhanga, in 2009-10, sixty six new schools were opened under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, ostensibly to enhance access to children of minority communities. However, out of these, only seven schools have been opened in minority concentration areas. In 24 Parganas (50% Muslims), only 2.2% minority BPL households are covered by the self-employment scheme; less than one percent households have actually received bank credit. In 2010, till November, not a single Muslim self-help group had received the bank credit.

Dr Zafar Mahmood strongly echoed Harsh Mander's plea that the government has to muster the will to politically admit the cumulative neglect and discrimination which has held back India's largest socio-religious minority. Diffidence at the policy level to clearly focus on Muslim deprivation translates into active reluctance by the implementing agencies on the ground to target Muslims even in districts with high Muslim concentration.

Mahmood said, “Mander has rightly argued that the Government must create a separate budgetary Sub-Plan for investment exclusively for the Development Plans for Muslims like the successive governments have been doing for Scheduled Castes (which too are identified, by definition, on religious basis).”

Under the Prime Minister's 15-Point Program the Government must enhance the outlay for minorities from 15% to at least 19% (that's their proportion in population). According to a crucial suggestion by the Study, for infrastructure schemes, the village or ward (against district, as of now) should be considered as the unit for planning and implementation of the minority development schemes. Simultaneously, establish Facilitation Centres at block and district levels run by Muslim youth as information dissemination and guidance facilities in respect of the government schemes and entitlements. Create a special Muslim component plan for 25000 crore. An annual budget of Rs 15000 crore for madarsas modernization scheme and establishment of new educational institutions for Muslims and another annual budget of Rs 10000 crore for large scale skills development program and small enterprises. Also, the Government must immediately act on the recommendations of the expert groups for appointment of Equal Opportunity Commission and Incentives for Diversity Scheme.