By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS,
New Delhi : Muslims are the most deprived in terms of socio-economic parameters including their share of jobs in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), says a new textbook of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
“In comparison to other communities, they have over the years, been deprived of the benefits of socio-economic developments,” says the new social science textbook for class 8 students published by the National Council of Education, Research and Training (NCERT).
The book says that Muslims constitute 13.5 percent of the country’s population.
Tracing the employment pattern of Muslims, it says that just three percent of IAS officers, four percent of IPS officers and meagre 1.8 percent of Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers are from the community.
It goes on to say that just 2.2 percent of all bank employees, including of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), are Muslims.
Drawing a comparison with Hindus, the textbook says that while 63.6 percent of Muslims live in non-permanent houses, 55.2 percent Hindus live in similar conditions.
“Thirty percent of Muslims have access to electricity while 43.2 percent of Hindus have access to electricity. (Similarly) 19.4 percent of Muslims have access to piped water against 25.3 percent Hindus,” the book says.
According to NCERT spokesman B.C. Patra, “the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) of 2005 has made provisions for making textbooks interactive and contemporary. By giving these details we are making our books more relevant.”
“The chapter on marginalisation (of Muslims) is only a representation of facts about our society,” Patra told IANS.
Quoting the 2001 census, the textbook states that while literacy rate of India is at 65 percent, for Muslims it is 59 percent.
The census had also said that Jains were the most literate at 94 percent, followed by Christians at 80 percent, Buddhists at 73 percent, Sikhs at 70 percent and Hindus at 65 percent.
“Twenty-five percent of Muslim children in the 6-14 age group have either never been to school or have dropped out. This percentage is much higher than of other community,” the textbook says.