For
India to become World Super Power focus on minorities is necessary
New
Delhi, April 15:
(Pervez
Bari) To see India become a World Super Power it is incumbent on one and all to
focus on minorities in general and on Muslims in particular to bring them in
the mainstream to enjoy the benefits of development as they have been left
behind wading in illiteracy and poverty. For India to achieve this goal all the
bogies of a train have to be strong and sturdy to reach the destination safely
and smoothly. If this is not done then the journey would breakdown midway and
ultimate goal can never be reached.
The
above views were expressed by Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food
Processing Industries, Parliamentary Affairs Mr. Harish Chandra Singh Rawat
while speaking in the plenary session on the second day of the 3-day
International Conference on “Minority Rights and Identities: Challenges and
Prospects in an Unfolding Global Scenario” at Constitutional Club of India n
Saturday. The theme was Central and State Commissions/Committees about
Minorities: An Appraisal.
The
conference is being organised by the New Delhi-based Institute of Objective
Studies, (IOS), as part of its IOS Silver Jubilee celebrations. This conference
is the last conference in the year-long 14-conference series held in different
parts of the country as part of the celebrations on completion of 25 years of
its existence by the IOS.
Continuing
Mr. Rawat congratulated Justice Rajendra Sachar for his Sachar Committee Report
which extensively stated the pathetic condition of Muslims in the country who
have been reduced to worse than Dalits in last more than six decades. He said
implementation has now started on the committee’s report.
He
wondered as to why the problems of Muslims are taken as a minority issue and
not as a national issue when in day to day life it is seen the community is
lagging far behind and is unable to enjoy the fruits of development. In this
contest he hailed IOS think tank for its research and analysis and its yeoman
service towards society in focusing issues and bringing it to the attention who
matter in the corridors of power.
Mr.
Rawat concurred with Mr. Wajahat Habibullah, Chairman, National Commission of
Minorities, who had earlier addressing the session had said that the police
force which does not know Urdu generally by just laying hands on some booklets
and books in Urdu without reading it declares it as “Jehadi literature”. He
stressed that those Muslim youths who have been arrested on terror charges and
are languishing in jails without trial for years should be tried in special
trial courts on day to day basis so that the accused woes are addressed
expeditiously and justice is granted to them. He said he had full faith in the
judiciary wherein judges do not come by way contesting elections but are
selected on the basis of their capabilities as such the judiciary would take
necessary steps to ameliorate the sufferings of these under-trials.
Presiding
over the session Ms. Justice Ruma Pal, former Judge, Supreme Court of India,
hoped that Institutional Prejudice found in police force and other departments
against Muslims would end. She said that in the past efforts were made to
change the perception of the police force towards minorities and especially
towards Muslims but no concrete results could be achieved.
Ms.
Justice Ruma Pal stressed that it is necessary to maintain a distance between
the police force and politicians as the latter is prone to misuse the former
for its vested interests. Until and unless some practical effective steps are
taken in this regard the country cannot progress to achieve desired goal. She
demanded the Muslim youths who are being targeted in the name of terror should
be given relief at the earliest. To put an end and break on unlawful arrests
and harassment of these youths special steps must be taken forthwith, she
added.
Earlier,
Mr. Wajahat Habibullah, Chairman, National Commission of Minorities, (NCM),
speaking on the occasion lamented that in cases of terrorism charge-sheets are
not prepared properly by police against Muslim youths who have been arrested
under alleged terror charges. Such police officials should be criminally
charged, he added. He said that in this connection NCM had constituted a
committee to bring out the true picture in cases related to Makkah Masjid blast
in Hyderabad. The NCM then raised that 53 youths have been illegally arrested
and forced to accept their role in the blast to implicate them in the cases. In
Malegaon blasts cases also such a situation has developed. Such type of
approach by the law enforcing agencies gives the impression that all Muslims
are terrorists, he moaned.
Mr.
Ravi Nair, Executive Director, South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre,
New Delhi, said illegal arrests of Muslim youths has become the biggest problem
of Muslims which has instilled an environment of fear among the minor
community. He demanded that Action Taken Report, (ATR), on the basis of NCM
reports should be brought before the public through media and other sources of
communication and publicity.
Mr.
Khwaja Abdul Muntaqim, Visiting Professor, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies,
Amity University, Noida, threw light on the Rangnath Mishra Commission’s report
and demanded implementation of its recommendations.
Mr.
M.A. Basith, Senior Director, Planning Department, Govt. of Karnataka spoke on
Minorities and the Minority Commissions all over India, made a Power Point
presentation on: “Past, Present and Future Role of National Minority Commission
and State Minority Commissions across India”. At the end of his presentation he
suggested the following points:-
¯
The NCM should be vested with powers of inquiry on par with other
Constitutional bodies like the National Commission for Scheduled Castes,
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Human Rights Commission, the
National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Protection of
Child Rights.
¯
The conferment of Constitutional status to the National Commission for
Minorities which is pending since 2004 should be expedited by the Central
Government. Similar action needs to be taken in respect of State Minorities
Commissions.
¯
Alternatively, the establishment of Equal Opportunity Commission as suggested
in the Sachar Committee Report will redress the grievances of all communities
in a better way.
¯
The NCM can devise uniform structured formats for reporting of information by
itself and all the SMCs.
¯
There should be transparency in information about coverage of minorities in all
activities. The NCM may also issue guidelines for reporting (like SEBI), which
should be mandatory for compliance by SMCs.
¯
The NCM and SMCs should be given appropriate role and powers to monitor &
review all developmental programmes & welfare schemes intended for the
minorities under the PM’s new 15 Point Programme.
¯
The Commissions should undertake awareness campaigns to publicize the
programmes of the Government by bringing out a compendium of schemes in
English, local language and Urdu every year after the presentation of the
budgets.
¯
State Governments should be encouraged to set up State Minorities Commissions
in the States where they do not exist.
¯
The NCM and SMCs should have vibrant websites with information being updated
every month. The website should have dynamic features by which people can raise
their queries, for which replies could be provided in a time bound manner.
¯
The NCM should adopt Result Framework Document method for evaluation of its
performance based on speed, efficiency and quality of service to the people.
The same method has to be adopted by the SMCs.
The
NCM Act 1992, may be amended to make it necessary for the government to appoint
chairpersons and members through a Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister
as in the case of the National Human Rights Commission. The appointment of
chairpersons and members to SMCs could also follow a similar procedure.
¯
The NCM is currently provided inadequate funds under Non-plan. These should be
not only be substantially increased but also a target should be set for
carrying Evaluation studies.
¯
NCM and SMCs have to frequently update themselves about the status of
minorities in vital activities and take corrective action wherever required.
¯
The NCM and SMCs should conduct socio-economic surveys on economic development
of minorities once in 5 years. This could be funded by MMA.
¯
The State Minorities Commissions face shortage of staff, posting of inefficient
and unwilling persons and persons without the knowledge of matters pertaining
to minorities. Mechanism for overcoming these problems need to be evolved.
¯
An exchange of information by the SMCs with the National Commission on all such
matters and issues through a structured review meeting/video conferencing every
month can be of immense help in mitigating the sufferings of minorities
¯
The National Commission for Minorities receives large number of complaints on
law & order, service matters, minority institutions, economic matters,
cultural rights, religion based harassment, waqf matters and compensation for
the victims of the riots. Very less information is available on the
recommendations made to the respective authorities for redressal of the
grievances and resolving of the complaints. A mechanism to analyse and publish
this information every six months may have to be devised.
¯
At present the impact of their programmes has minimal affect on the
socio-economic development of Minorities. Higher government contribution may be
provided including attracting capital from private sector.
¯
The Government has accorded in principle approval for restructuring of NMDFC.
The Consultant appointed for the purpose has submitted his report which is
under examination in the Ministry of Minority Affairs since few years. This
report has to be debated before a decision is taken.
¯
State Minorities Development Corporations have to be established in all the
States/UTs where these do not exist;
¯
As suggested by Ranganath Mishra Report concurrent evaluation is necessary to identify
the gaps and or causes for tardy implementation and corrective measures taken
midstream for realization of aims and objectives of the schemes/programmes.
¯
A mechanism to earmark flow of benefits to minorities in proportion to their
population as existing for SCs & STs needs to be put in place at least for
large programmes.
¯
An online management system is to be introduced for implementation and
monitoring of all minority welfare schemes.
¯
The National Data Bank (NDB) which has been created on recommendation of Sachar
Committee is inactive with very less data being exhibited on its website. The
NDB should be empowered to get data relating to minority welfare in respect of
government programmes, banking, educational institutions etc.,
¯
The Central Government should introduce a few schemes with large outlays for
welfare of minorities with an equitable provision for Muslims.
Meanwhile,
Dr. Manzoor Alam, chairman of IOS, intervening said that a Systematic Bias is
found everywhere against Muslims and till this continues there is no hope that
Muslims and other communities will never get justice in the country. He also
raised the question that why no law is ever made to checkmate those who are
responsible to implement the government schemes in letter and spirit.
At
the fag end of the session Dr. Manzoor Alam and Dr. Z. M. Khan, chairman and
secretary general of IOS respectively, felicitated Ms. Justice Ruma Pal and Mr.
Wajahat Habibullah with IOS awards. Prof. M. Afzal Wani, Faculty of Law, GTBIP
University, Delhi conducted the session.
Meanwhile,
three parallel sessions were held on the second day on the themes of Minority
Rights in Theory and Practice; Minority Rights in Islamic Perspective and Role
of Ulema in Developing Unity among Muslim Ummah. (pervezbari@eth.net)
