10 Years of Sachar Report: Some Critical Observations

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Ghazanfar Abbas, IndiaTomorrow.net,

New Delhi, Jan 2: With no significant changes in the socio-economic conditions of the Muslim community even 10 years after the Sachar Committee report accepted by the central government, social groups, community leaders and academicians say the intention of Governments is the main factor behind the backwardness of Muslims in the country. At a program titled “Ten Years of Justice Sachar Committee Report – A Review” held here, they urged the government to implement the Sachar Committee recommendations with honest intention to uplift the community and other minorities.

Talking to IndiaTomorrow.net, Prof. (Retd.) Manoranjan Mohanty of Delhi University said: There were two major recommendations (of Sachar Committee). First, diversity index to be applied in all public and private organizations. This is still on paper only. Unless we really apply this index we don’t realize whom we are missing out. Second was to set up a National Data Bank. We still don’t know whether government has any policy about this yet.

The present government has in fact almost dropped the Right to Education (RTE) Act. This was strongly recommended to be implemented with special emphasis in Muslim concentration areas. Had it been so, it would have really made some solid effect. Without employment and education we cannot bring any significant improvement in the status of Muslims and other minorities, said Prof. Mohanty.

“Community must also join a national campaign to implement the major recommendations of Justice Sachar committee,” he emphasized.

Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood, president of Zakat Foundation of India said, “Under the delimitation Law 2002 and rule 2008, it is clearly mentioned that those constituencies shall be reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) where the percentage of SC out of the total population is maximum. But the Sachar Committee pointed out that the constituencies where Scheduled Castes are very low in percentage but Muslims are very high in percentage have also been reserved for SC.”

“There is a reason that delimitation commission should sit and rectify this defect,” asserted Dr. Mahmood who was OSD at the Sachar Committee.

Emeritus Prof. T.K Oommen, Jawaharlal Nehru University said, “There is no reservations for the Muslims or minorities such as Christians; therefore there is no particular constituency for them. Even where they are in large numbers, there is no possibility of getting them elected because that constituency is reserved for Scheduled Castes.”

“If the government of the day treats all Indian citizens equally, irrespective of their religious background, then things can be proceeded but the fact is many things remain in a statute mode and are not actually operationalised and implemented,” said he.

Mohammad Salim Engineer, Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, stressed on the implementation of Equal Opportunity Commission.

“Justice Sachar Committee report is the most realistic and important as it presents the real image of Muslims and other minorities. But it is the most politically exploited report also,” he said.

“If the Equal Opportunity Commission is implemented honestly then it may bring some changes. Similarly to make the political representation better, delimitation rule should be rectified,” he demanded.

“And this is not just a matter of injustice with the Muslims and other minorities but the matter of the future of this country,” he averred.

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