By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi: The All India Jain Minority Forum has demanded the central government to assign the Jain community the status of national minority. The community is considered minority in some states.
A statement released by Bal Patil, secretary general of the Forum says that according to the Census of India 2001, there are only 4,225,053 Jains in the total population of India of 1.028 billion. It means that there is one Jain among 243 Indians. Though so less in number, Jains are to be found in 34 out of 35 states and union territories. The only union territory without Jains is Lakshdweep. Jains are counted as a major religious community ever since the first Census in India in 1873.
Jains have been declared a minority in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, West Bengal, Uttaranchal and Jharkhand states.
But the community in those states is not treated as minority for central government schemes meant for minorities. For instance, the community is not treated eligible for the scholarships announced by Prime Minister and Minority Affairs Minister for pre and post-matriculation students because Jains are not a national minority. This is a matter of blatant discrimination, says the statement.