By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: The West Bengal Assembly’s Standing Committee on Minority Affairs has recommended minority representation at all government recruitment boards. The committee has sent proposal to enlist at least one minority member in every selection board for government recruitments.
To increase share of Muslims in government jobs it is necessary and it will be one of the ways to solve the Government job problems for Muslims, says Nasiruddin Ahmed, Chairman of the Standing Committee and MLA of the ruling Trinamul Congress of Mamata Banerjee.
There are 12 members in the Standing Committee on Minority Affairs besides chief minister Mamata Banerjee as ex-officio Member. She is Minister in-charge of Minority Affairs and Madrasa education department. The state assembly has in all 40 committees, of which 25 are Standing Committees on different issues.
The Standing Committee on Minority Affairs called a meeting last week and submitted the recommendation as per decision taken in that meeting. In the recommendation, the committee said: At least one Minority member should be included in the recruitment board for Government recognized and aided organizations. In Government job, no Muslim representation in the recruitment board is one of the reasons for low percentage of the Muslims in govt jobs.
The committee is also against recruiting retired Government employees in the Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education Department for vacant seats. The Committee recommended recruitment of educated unemployed Muslims.
Talking to TCN, Nasiruddin Ahmed, Trinamul Congress MLA from Kaliganj of Nadia district and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Minority Affairs, said: `Committee members visited several districts in West Bengal. After the visits, the committee held 36 meetings. Not only job, lots of other problems of Muslims in West Bengal were also discussed in those meetings. One of the issues was about reservation also. On 3rd July the Committee placed the recommendation about minority representation at selection boards and sent to the Assembly.’
Nasiruddin also said, Committee recommended to maintain OBC quota in the Government job where Muslim will be benefited at a large. Amendment of OBC bill for reservation will be passed shortly in West Bengal Assembly with a special initiative of Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee, Nasiruddin said.
Sources said among the different problems of Muslims discussed in the last meeting of the Standing Committee was `Recognition of un-aided Madrasa’. Government of West Bengal advertised seeking Application of `Recognition of un-aided Madrasa’ which was published in several Bengali, English and Urdu dailies. Mamata Banerjee led Trinamul Government had announced that, 10000 un-aided madrasa will be recognized by the State Government. But even now, no sufficient number of Applications was received by the Minority Affairs & Madrasa Education department.
Member of the Minority Standing Committee and MLA of Forward Block Ali Imran Ramz told TCN: `we are two members from left front included in this committee. We recommended to finalize the inspected Madrasa which is called MSK/SSK under Sarvo Siksha Abhiyan. But Committee finally placed the report without this view, because they are majority. Muslim community wants recognition of Madrasas with Government Aided status. The present government should give recognition with aided status. ’
On why sufficient number of applications is not coming for Government recognition for new Madrasas, Kamruzzaman, ex Madrasa Student Leader and Secretary of Muslim Youth Federation told TCN: Muslims are not willing to take recognition in new format of Mamata Banerjee led government. In last few years more than 2000 Madrasa were inspected as Government aided Madrasa, yet not finalized. So, apart from these Madrasas there are few Madrasa seeking un-aided recognition. Government should first give recognition to the pending Madrasa as aided, then they should take up others, thinks Kamruzzaman.