New civil rights group formed in Gujarat to raise minorities' "long-pending" issues, seeks minority govt depart

A minority ghetto in Ahmedabad

By A Representative
In a new effort to lobby for minority rights, a new advocacy group has been formed in Gujarat, Minority Coordination Committee (MCC), on the occasion of the United Nations Minority Rights Day, which fell on December 18. One of its main aims is to provide a united platform for raising long-pending issues with the state government.
To begin by sending one lakh postcards to Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani by March 23, 2017 with a list of demands, the MCC, which proposes to work as a non-political pressure group, would represent before district collectors with a list of demands of minorities, following which it proposes to hold a rally in Ahmedabad to highlight the demands.
A statement issued by MCC following a meeting in Ahmedabad announced the decision to appoint four coordinators for Gujarat – Usmanghani Serashia for the Saurashtra-Kutch region; Mohammad Siddiq Seikh for South Gujarat; Mir Khan for North Gujarat; and Mujahid Nafees for Central Gujarat.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities was promulgated on December 18, 1992, with the declared aim of strengthening the cause of the minorities. Since then, International Minority Rights Day is observed to create awareness on rights of minorities.
Listing a list of demands, Serashia, also MCC spokesperson, said, these would include formation of a minority welfare department with the state government; having separate budget provision for minorities; setting up government higher secondary schools in minority areas; formation of minority commission in the state; recognizing madrasas as equivalent to Gujarat school boards; and announcing a separate welfare package for the minorities.
Addressing its first meeting, Nafees regretted, in Gujarat 75 per cent of the children enroll themselves in primary schools, but percentage of children enrolled in the secondary schools drastically goes down to 45 per cent. “By matriculation, just about 25 per cent of minority children remain in schools”, he added.
Calling it a “very serious matter” requiring urgent government and societal attention, Nafees said, another major issue which nags minorities is “massive displacement” of nearly two lakh families as a result of frequent riots in Gujarat, on one hand, and industrial activities along the sea coast, on the other.
“These families have come and settled down in the state’s urban areas, are living mostly in the slum areas which lack basic social and physical infrastructure”, he said, adding, “Most of these are Muslim minorities.”
Quoting the Sachar committee report, which came up with a comprehensive report on the state of minorities in India, Nafees further said, poverty among minorities is 800 per cent higher than the dominant caste Hindus and 50 per cent higher than other backward castes.

Suggesting how minorities have to depend mainly on unorganized sector in the urban areas, Nafees said, only 12 per cent of them are employed in the organized, especially manufacturing, sector, as against the national average of 21 per cent.
“While 54 per cent of the minorities work as self-employed in Gujarat as against the national average of 57 per cent, 27 per cent of them are employed in the unorganized sector in Gujarat, as against the national average of 17 per cent”, he said, indicating how a higher percentage of Muslims work as wage workers.
Despite this, he bemoaned, there is no separate minority welfare department in the Gujarat government, whose aim should be to implement the Prime Minister’s 15-point programme meant for ameliorating the plight of the minorities in education, economy and society.

Comments

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

Domestic vote-bank politics 'behind official solidarity' with Bangladeshi Hindus

By Sandeep Pandey, Faisal Khan The Indian government has registered a protest with Bangladesh over the mob lynching of two Hindus—Deepu Chandra Das in Mymensingh and Amrit Mandal in Rajbari. In its communication, the government cited a report by the Association of Hindus, Buddhists and Christian Unity Council, which claims that more than 2,900 incidents of killings, arson, and land encroachments targeting minorities have taken place since the interim government assumed power in Bangladesh.

ArcelorMittal faces global scrutiny for retreat from green steel, job cuts, and environmental violations

By Jag Jivan ArcelorMittal is facing mounting criticism after cancelling or delaying nearly all of its major green steel projects across Europe, citing an “unsupportive policy environment” from the European Union . The company has shelved projects in Germany , Belgium , and France , while leaving the future of its Spanish decarbonisation plan uncertain. The decision comes as global unions warn that more than 5,500 jobs are at risk across its operations, including 4,000 in South Africa , 1,400 in Europe, and 160 in Canada .

Investment in rule of law a corporate imperative, not charity: Business, civil society leaders

By A Representative In a compelling town hall discussion hosted at L.J School of Law , prominent voices from industry and civil society underscored that corporate investment in strengthening the rule of law is not an act of charity but a critical business strategy for building a safer, stronger, and developed India by 2047. The dialogue, part of the Unmute podcast series, examined the intrinsic link between ethical business conduct , robust legal frameworks, and sustainable national development, against the sobering backdrop of India ranking 79th out of 142 countries on the global Rule of Law Index .

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

2025 was not just a bad year—it was a moral failure, it normalised crisis

By Atanu Roy* The clock has struck midnight. 2025 has passed, and 2026 has arrived. Firecrackers were already bursting in celebration. If this is merely a ritual, like Deepavali, there is little to comment on. Otherwise, I find 2025 to have been a dismal year, weighed down by relentless odds—perhaps the worst year I have personally witnessed.

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

Can global labour demand absorb India’s growing workforce?

By N.S. Venkataraman* Over the past eleven years, India has claimed significant economic growth , emerging as the world’s fourth-largest economy. With the Government of India continuing to pursue economic and industrial development initiatives, this growth momentum is expected to continue in the medium term.

Search This Blog