Rehan Ansari
Mumbai: 18th December is being celebrated as the Minority’s Right Day in Maharashtra. Obliging the United Nations “International Minority Day,” Minority Commission of Maharashtra issued a GR no.1752 in 2010.
In order to strengthen the cause of the minorities the UN promulgated the Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or ethnic or Religious and Linguistic Minorities on 18th December, 1992. It pronounces to protect and encourage condition for the promotion of their identity.”
After assessing the information gathered mainly through RTIs, it is found that most of the welfare schemes regarding minorities in Maharashtra are not properly implemented. PM’s 15 point Programmes, implementation on Sachar Committee Report recommendations and all the schemes are in dismay.
The irony is that government spends more on publicity and advertising of its minority welfare schemes than actually spending on the execution.
Minorities Development Department was formed as a separate Administrative Department by the Government of Maharashtra in February 2008 with a view to implement the recommendations of the Sachar Committee Report as well as Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for Minorities. The main objectives of the Department are to focus on inclusive growth and to attain justice and equality for all. But in an RTI reply about the statistics of welfare schemes, the applicant is asked to collect the information from District Collectors and other concerned ministries.
Even the website of the minority Development Department does not have the statistics of expenditure, only the budgeted figures are mentioned. It says, “Since the inception of the Department, a steadily increasing budgetary provision has been made in order to implement developmental and welfare schemes for Minorities. Amounts of Rs.174.67 Cr., Rs.206.25 Cr., Rs.237.99 Cr., Rs.174.67 Cr., Rs.275 Cr. and Rs.275 Cr. have been budgeted for the year 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011–12 & 2012-13 respectively. Besides this an outlay of Rs.280.05 Cr. has been sanctioned for the financial year of 2013 -14.”
“Under construction” word welcomes you when you click the State Welfare schemes. Besides Scholarship schemes of the central government and Maulana Azad grant for infrastructural repair and upgradation to the Minority schools and colleges, nothing is actually working. Several irregularities are found even in the scholarship schemes.
The irony is that neither the minority’s organizations nor the newspapers are doing any investigation or asking questions about it. Except few individuals no one seems to be bothered. The Bombay High Court has finally taken a suo motto cognizance of the press report in English newspaper regarding non availability of uniform and attendance allowance to the minority students.
PM’s 15 Point Programmes in Maharashtra:
In 2012 and 2013, three RTIs regarding the implementation of PM’s 15 point programme was filed but no information was provided by the Minority welfare Department.
Chief Minister/ Chief Secretary or Maharashtra Minister of Minority presides over the meeting to plan and issue orders regarding the implementation of PM’s 15 point programme. No status report or statistical information is available in the ministry of minority Maharashtra.
Sachar Committee Recommendation:
Central Government through its letter in 2007, 2010 has directed the state government to implement sachar recommendations, form state and district level committees and report to the central government every six month. But till October 2010 no meeting was held.
Chief Secretary has taken only one state level meeting on 17th November 2011 in which 14 issues are decided and time bound direction was given to the concern department to implement. In an RTI reply, dated 3rd October, 2010, it accepted that there is no status report available with the Minority Development Department.
It’s highly condemnable that the Minority Development Department sends all the RTIs regarding status reports to the district collectors and other concerned department. In return these departments send it back to the Minority Development Department, specially the Home Ministry.
Central government in its letter in 2007 and 2010 regarding the implementation of Sachar recommendation directed the Maharashtra government to give preference to the Muslim candidate in Police, Health and teaching department.
According to another RTI response to the Police and Health department, nothing has been implemented and no report was sent to the central government.
Dr.Mahmoodur Rahman Committee Report:
Dr. Mahmoodur Rahman Committee formed, in 2008 to study the socio-economic condition of Muslims in Maharashtra has submitted its findings to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chauhan in October 2013 that presented the very dismal condition of Muslims in Maharashtra and recommended 8% reservation to Muslims in the government jobs.
It’s high time that the Prithviraj Chauhan releases the report and its plan regarding the implementation of its recommendation.
