This it the third in the series of articles on works before Minority Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan. Part 1,/a> and part 2.
By Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood for TwoCircles.net
In order to ameliorate the long-drawn severe Muslim under-representation in India’s governance (less than one-fourth of Muslim share in population), the Sachar Committee made a highly reasonable recommendation that the Government should nominate Muslims to important executive posts and in the Parliament and Assemblies. This should ensure that, at the national level, Muslim proportion does not remain less than their population ratio of 13.4% (as per Census). Likewise, in the states, Muslims should have representation in proportion to their respective provincial level shares in population.
The Sachar Committee further mentioned in its report that this work should be processed in the manner as the Government of Andhra Pradesh had been nicely doing. However, when the bureaucracy in the Ministry of Minority Affairs prepared its notes on various recommendations of Sachar Committee, it commented in front of this recommendation: This recommendation relates to Andhra Pradesh, and it should be referred to the A.P. Government. This abominable act really tantamounts to mockery of this vital recommendation of Sachar Committee. Under Right to Information Act, a copy of the impugned document of the Ministry of Minority Affairs has been obtained. Consequently, during the last six years, no Central or State Government has ever acted upon this important Sachar recommendation. The Minority Affairs Minister, Mr K. Rahman Khan (KRK) should immediately write letters to all the central ministers and the chief ministers saying that that this recommendation of the Sachar Committee should be acted upon and quarterly progress report of such implementation should be sent to the Ministry of Minority Affairs. This circular letter of the Minister needs to be displayed on the website of the Ministry. Similarly, the quarterly compliance reports should also be made available on the website.
Minority Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan.
In order to address the inequity in the classrooms across the nation, an Alternate Admission Criteria has been vehemently recommended on page 246 of the Sachar Committee report for implementation in all universities and colleges through UGC. Accordingly, the criteria for admission into various courses of study should be spread over two components, viz 60% for personal merit and 40% for the relative social backwardness suffered by the candidate. The parameters for evaluating backwardness should include: (a) candidate’s annual domestic income, (b) poverty level of the candidate’s district and (c) nature of the candidate’s family income. Since no headway has been made to implement this recommendation, KRK would be well-advised to write soon to the Minister for Human Resources Development seeking the issue of immediate directions to the UGC in this regard. In the UGC too, it would have to be constantly followed up with unwavering perseverance so that the new admission procedure is implemented with effect from the academic session 2013-14.
The Sachar Committee also said that the bureaucrats and the other staff of the Government should be sensitized vis-a-vis the findings of Sachar Committee and the utter need to restore multi-faceted justice to Muslims in the form of affirmative actions. For this purpose special lectures should be organized highlighting the significance of this issue through PowerPoint presentations. A model presentation should be professionally prepared involving experts from the Muslim community and that should be displayed on the website of the Ministry of Minority Affairs. First such lecture should be arranged for the officers and staff of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
During December 2012, Human Chain (NGO) had organized a conference in the auditorium of India Islamic Cultural Center in Delhi to deliberate upon the fate of Sachar Committee’s recommendations. As chief guest, KRK announced that (a) the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqfs and the Sachar Committee shall be sincerely implemented by his Ministry in letter and spirit and (b) Harsh Mander’s Report (Promises to Keep, 2011) shall be minutely studied by his Ministry and lessons taken there from shall be transduced into actions by the Government without any further loss of time. KRK also categorically announced that his Government, within its remaining tenure, would establish ,National Waqf Academy and, with the help of this Academy, would put together a well-trained Waqf cadre. He added that this would serve as a forerunner for establishing in foreseeable future the Indian Waqf Service as recommended by the Sachar Committee.
Harsh Mander wrote in his report that the political valor and vision that informed the appointment of Sachar Committee are not matched by that required to build an appropriate and adequate response to the multiple development deficits suffered by the teeming majority of Indian Muslims. The political managers of the ruling combine possibly caution against providing grist to the opposition’s charges of ‘minority appeasement’. They ‘fear’ the political consequences of the Government being seen as openly taking sides with a community which is currently stigmatized, though unjustly. Conversely, the Government shall have to, rather, muster adequate will to politically admit the cumulative neglect and discrimination which has held back India’s largest socio-religious minority.
Harsh Mandar added that though the policy was designed to remove the deprivation of Muslims in the light of the Sachar Committee report, but when the time for it’s implementation arrived, the policy extended to other minorities as well and thus got diluted for Muslims. He wrote that the reluctance of the Government in unambiguously implementing even this watered down version of its policy for Muslims is quite visible. Such diffidence at the policy level to clearly focus on Muslims and their deprivations translates into active reluctance by the implementing agencies on the ground, to target Muslims and the drivers of their deprivations, even in districts with high Muslim concentration. The institutional structures designed to implement these initiatives – right from the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs down to the implementing officials in districts and below – lack conviction, clout and even a clear mandate to directly battle the socio-economic structural discrimination and denial encountered by the community.
Hence, as a prudent way out, Harsh Mandar made the vital recommendation that for planning the infrastructure schemes, the villages and wards should be made as the units (instead of districts), otherwise the Schemes have generally been found to have been implemented in those areas of the districts where Muslim presence is negligible. KRK informed the audience that there is corresponding remedial movement on this issue in the Planning Commission. The month of January is very important. Work is currently going on to draft the national budget. KRK’s Ministry will have to make efforts on daily basis.
Harsh Mander also wanted that the Government should form a separate Sub-Plan for Muslim-oriented investment in the development programs just like the governments have for long been doing for the scheduled castes (mind you, Muslims had been excluded from the definition of ‘scheduled caste’ since 1950). He emphasized that the central government should introduce a special component plan of 25,000 crore for Muslims. Rupees 15,000 crores should be allocated for establishing new educational institutions and Rs 10,000 for establishing small businesses and providing other economic opportunities. Besides, all the minorities of India put together make 19% of the national population. Nevertheless, only 15% of the total plan allocation has been earmarked for the Prime Minister’s 15 points program for minorities. It is necessary to raise this to at least 19%. Facilitation centers need be established for providing information and guidance with the help of the Muslim youth – at the block and district levels. While the Ummah and its well-wishers surely need to do their bit, yet they are looking towards KRK humming this couplet of Allama Iqbal:
Chaahey to badal daaley haeeyyat chamanistaan ki
Yeh hasti-e beena hai, daana hai, tawaana hai
If it so wishes, it can change the landscape of the garden.
The human life is blessed with correct perception, thorough understanding and never-ending energy.
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The author is President, Zakat Foundation of India and was Officer on Special Duty, Prime Minister’s High Level Committee on Muslims (popularly known as Sachar Committee). He can be contacted at [email protected]