Author: Special Correspondent
Publication: The Hindu
Date: April 27, 2005
URL: http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/27/stories/2005042703321500.htm
To address absence of "authentic
information about social and economic status"
* Report to be submitted by June
2006
* Government to take a view on
reservation in jobs and education based on the report
* Committee to dwell on their economic
status
* Proportion of OBCs to be studied
The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh,
has set up a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive report on
the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community in
India. The seven-member committee - headed by the former Chief Justice
of the Delhi High Court, Rajindar Sachar - has been asked to submit its
report by June 2006.
The committee has been set up to
address the absence of "authentic information about the social, economic
and educational status of the community.'' The absence of such data, according
to the Government, came in the way of planning, formulating and implementing
specific interventions, policies and programmes to address the issues of
socio-economic backwardness of the community.
Though there is no mention of it
in the terms of reference, the report will be used as an input to help
the Government take a view on whether there should be reservation for Muslims
in education and employment. In its Common Minimum Programme, the United
Progressive Alliance said efforts would be made to see how best the welfare
of socially and economically backward sections among religious and linguistic
minorities, including reservation in education and employment, is enhanced.
Social indices to be examined
Besides looking at the demographic
spread of Muslims and the community's record vis-a-vis various social indices
such as literacy, dropout, Maternal Mortality Rate and Infant Mortality
Rate, the committee has been asked to dwell at length on their economic
status.
It will examine Muslims' relative
share in public and private sector employment, and whether they have adequate
access to education, health services, municipal infrastructure, bank credit
and other services provided by the Government and the public sector.
Besides, the committee will look
into the proportion of Other Backward Classes from the Muslim community
in the total OBC population in various States and whether Muslim OBCs are
listed in the comprehensive list of OBCs prepared by the National and State
Backward Classes Commissions and adopted by the Central and State Governments
for reservation for various purposes.
Briefing mediapersons here on Tuesday,
Mr. Justice Sachar said: "The committee has to consolidate, collate and
analyse the information to identify areas of intervention by the Government
to address the problems faced by the community.''
The other members of the committee
are the Chancellor of Hamdard University, Saiyid Hamid; sociologist T.
K. Oommen; Senior Director of the Planning Department of the Karnataka
Government, M. A. Basith; economist Rakesh Basant; Dean at the Faculty
of Social Sciences, Hamdard University, Akhtar Majeed; and Chief Economist
at the National Council for Applied Economic Research, Abusaleh Shariff.
