By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has criticized the UPA government for not implementing the recommendations of Sachar report and has expressed the need for a law to ensure their effective implementation.
The Standing Committee of Social Justice and Empowerment, headed by BSP MP Dara Singh Chouhan, in its 17th report, which was tabled in both Houses of Parliament on August 4, said that with exception of scholarship schemes and financial aid to the community under Maulana Azad Foundation, the Minority Affairs Ministry headed by Salman Khurshid was “not paying heed to the root of the problems as publicized in the report of Sachar Committee”.
Madarsa students in a Chennai slum
The Parliamentary panel rejected the government’s claim that the implementation of Sachar recommendation was its high priority and said that the implementation was not being done in a serious manner.
Going a step further the panel said, that a legal step was required to ensure that the Sachar recommendations get implemented on the ground.
“The Committee hence desires that the ministry should work in the direction of bringing a law in Parliament in this regard,” the Parliamentary panel said.
The House panel also emphasized on the time bound implementation of the Sachar recommendations. “The report of Sachar Committee, which throws light on the pitiable social and economic condition of minorities, if implemented fully, will help a great deal in their upliftment. Hence the Committee recommends that necessary steps be immediately taken to implement all recommendations of the Sachar Committee in a time-bound manner,” it said.
The panel also criticized the Ministry for Minority Affairs (MMA) for non-expenditure of around 600 crore during last financial year. Interestingly during the financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10, the ministry returned only Rs 33.63 crore and Rs 31.50 crore respectively but the amount increased up to 587.70 crore in 2010-11.
The panel also expressed its displeasure over the fact that the MMA failed to execute four schemes in the absence of nod from the planning Commission. It asked the MMA to convince the Planning Commission that it should accept two schemes, the scheme which provides subsidy on loans to minority students for studying abroad and another which plans to strengthen the Wakf Boards.