By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : With the overall objective of empowerment of Indian Muslims through recognition as a Backward Class with a separate sub-quota for reservation, several national Muslim organisations, including Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, All India Milli Council, Movement for Empowerment of Muslim Indians (MOEMIN), All India Momin Conference, All India Shia Conference, Markazi Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith, Imarat-e-Shariah Bihar and All India Muslim Educational Society, have formed a Joint Committee of Muslim Organisations for Empowerment (JCMOE).
The JCMOE has formulated a Charter of Demands in the light of the UPA Manifesto, Prime Minister's assurances to the minorities, the New 15-Point Programme for Minority Welfare and the Recommendations of Justice Sachar Committee and of Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission.
The Charter of Demands is as follows:
I- Recognition of Backwardness
1. Recognition of the Muslim Community as a Backward Class under Article 15 (4) of the Constitution on the basis of the factual data collected by the Sachar Committee.
2. Provision of a separate Sub-quota for Muslim Community in proportion to their share in national/state populations and the levels of backwardness in higher education, public employment, development and welfare benefits and bank credit.
Enlargement of the list of Muslim OBCs through reconciliation of the discrepancy between the Mandal and State Lists and inclusion of other eligible Muslim sub-communities.
3. Institution of decennial Development Census based on universal and easily accessible parameters and establishment of a National Assessment and Monitoring Authority for collection, analysis, and retrieval of the collected data and monitoring.
II- Political & Administrative Measures
4. Raising representation of Muslims in Union and State legislatures & PRI's, by appropriate demarcation, rotation of reservation for SC/ST, dereservation of Muslim concentration constituencies and other devises such as double-member constituencies.
5. Nomination of qualified Muslims against discretionary appointments in the Higher Judiciary, Public Service Commissions, Universities, Public Sector Undertakings, including banks and insurance companies, official Boards, Authorities, Corporations and other statutory bodies.
6. Composite posting of civil and police personnel in districts, blocks and thanas of Muslim concentration.
III- Promotion of Education
7. Establishing government schools of equal quality in all deprived areas, in accordance with the national norms under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
Provision of exclusive high schools and hostels for girls.
Restoration of the Three Language Formula to provide for mother tongue as medium of primary instruction and as a compulsory subject up to X.
Economic compensation for BPL families to reduce dropout and establishment of vocational schools and ITIs for the dropouts in deprived areas.
8. Institution of scholarship for Muslims on merit or means at all levels on parity with SC/ST.
9. Encouragement and facilitation of establishment of professional colleges and private universities by Muslims under Article 30 of the Constitution and equal treatment under Article 29 (2).
IV- Employment & Economic Uplift
10. Reservation in Public Employment at all levels in all cadres for Muslims in proportion to their population in the zone of selection.
11. Distribution of benefit of all development and welfare schemes to Muslims in proportion to their eligible population at the operational level.
12. Concessional flow of priority sector bank credit, up to say Rs. 500,000, to eligible borrowers by banks for the self-employed, the self-help groups and small entrepreneurs among Muslims and other deprived groups, in proportion to their population in the bank's jurisdiction.
13. Allocation of due share of municipal and urban development resources to Muslim mohallas and wards.
Expeditious regularization of Muslim colonies. Rehabilitation of those displaced in slum clearance operations or in communal violence.
14. Time-bound survey of Waqf properties.
Grant of public premises status to public Waqfs.
Exemption of Waqfs from rent control and land ceiling laws.
Establishment of National Waqf Development Corporation & statutory provision for utilization of surplus wakf income for education & economic development.
Creation of Waqf cadre to meet the administrative needs of all Waqf institutions.
V- Social Dignity
15. Protection of honour and dignity of the Muslim community against denigration, demonisation and vilification, through statutory curbs on incendiary and provocative speeches and statements and through enactment of hate laws.