Gujarat govt should form a separate minority affairs department and minority commission

Counterview Desk
Text of the representation by the Minority Coordination Committee to Gujarat governor On Prakash Kohli on the development and protection of the minority community:
The population of minorities in Gujarat is 11.5% (as per of Census of India 2011), which includes Muslims 9.7%, Jains 1.0%, Christians 0.5%, Buddhists 0.1%, and others 0.1% . In the state like Gujarat 82.3% Muslim children take admission in the primary schools, but this percentage is found to be decreasing at the matriculation or Standard 10th, when it reaches just 32.5% only. This is a very serious situation.
Gujarat is witness to internal migration for many years, and it's main reasons include riots and establishment of industries on a large scale along the sea coast. About 2 lakh people of the minority communities have migrated and settled down in big cities. They are helpless. They live their lives amidst deficient minimum basic amenities. They live mainly in slum areas. The most affected community is Muslim as per the Sachar committee report.
According to the Sachar Committee report, on an average 21% people are employed in the organized and manufacturing sector, whereas only 13% Muslims are in this sector. Other communities of the country have a higher share. In the field of self-employment, Muslims' share is 54%, which is less than the average of the country, i.e.57%. In the informal occupations, Muslims' share is 23%, whereas the overall share in the country is 17%. It is clear from these figures that Muslims are becoming victims of discrimination.
Recommendations of the Sachar committee led to the formation of the Minority Welfare Ministry by the Government of India in 2006. Its main objective is to bring minorities of the country to the mainstream. This led to launching of special schemes on scholarship, talent development, Wakf development, the Prime Minister's 15 points programme, assistance for the preparation of administrative examinations etc. The implementation of the Prime Minister's 15 points programm zero in Gujarat. In Gujarat, no specific provision for minorities has been made in the budget.
Commissions have been established in India and different states form the preparation of strategies for redressal of grievances and development of deprived classes, and these include Women's Commission, Scheduled Caste Commission, Scheduled Tribes Commission, Commission for Other Backward Classes, Commission for Child Rights, Minorities Commission etc.
In Gujarat, however, we have no separate Ministry for Minority Affairs, no budgetary allocation for the upliftment of minorities, nor is there any implementation of schemes launched by the Government of India. There is no grievances redressal mechanism for minorities in Gujarat in the form of a commission, either.

Considering all this our demands are:

Enact Minorities (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act.
Form portfolio/ministry for the welfare of minorities in the state.
Specific financial provisions should be made in the state budget for the development of minorities.
Open Government Higher Secondary schools where minorities are residing in considerable numbers.
Recognize the Degree of Madarsas equivalent to the Gujarat Board.
Form State Minority Commission. Law should be passed in the State Assembly giving it constitutional standing.
Special financial package should be given for the development of minorities.
Frame a policy for the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons because of natural disasters and communal violence.
Fully implement of the Prime Minister's new 15 point programme.

Comments

mustufa kheduvora said…

The above demands are in the interest of the State.Because when the minority will empower ,that portion of the State will empower. Then it will be in real sense 'सब का साथ, सब का विकास' otherwise it will mere 'जुमला'.

March 27, 2018

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Kolkata dialogue flags policy and finance deficit in wetland sustainability

By A Representative Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks.

Beyond Lata: How Asha Bhosle redefined the female voice with her underrated versatility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...

Maoist activity in India: Weakening structures, 'shifts' in leadership, strategy and ideology

By Harsh Thakor* Recent statements by government representatives have suggested that Maoism in India has been effectively eliminated, citing the weakening of central leadership and intensified security operations. These claims follow sustained counterinsurgency efforts across key regions, including central and eastern India. However, available information from security agencies and independent observers indicates that while the organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) has been significantly disrupted, elements of the movement remain active. Reports acknowledge the continued presence of cadres in certain forested regions such as Bastar and parts of Dandakaranya, alongside smaller, decentralized units adapting their operational strategies.

'Fraudulent': Ex-civil servants urge President to halt Odisha tribal land dispossession

By A Representative A collective of 81 retired civil servants from the Constitutional Conduct Group has written to the President of India expressing alarm over what they describe as the wrongful dispossession of tribal lands in Odisha’s Rayagada district. The letter, dated April 19, 2026, highlights violent clashes in Kantamal village where police personnel reportedly injured over 70 tribal residents attempting to protect their community rights.

From Manesar to Noida: Workers take to streets for bread, media looks away

By Sunil Kumar* Across several states in India, a workers’ movement is gathering momentum. This is not a movement born of luxury or ambition, nor a demand for power-sharing within the state. At its core lies a stark and basic plea: the right to survive with dignity—adequate food, and wages sufficient to afford it.

Dhandhuka violence: Gujarat minority group seeks judicial action, cites targeted arson

By A Representative The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat has written to the Director General of Police seeking judicial action in connection with recent violence in Dhandhuka town of Ahmedabad district, alleging targeted attacks on properties belonging to members of the Muslim community following a fatal altercation between two bike riders on April 18.

Midnight weeping: The sociology of tragic vision in Badri Narayan’s poetry

By Ravi Ranjan* Badri Narayan, a distinguished Hindi poet and social scientist, occupies a unique position in contemporary Indian intellectual life by bridging the worlds of creative literature and critical social inquiry. His poetic journey began significantly with the 1993 collection 'Saca Sune Hue Kaï Dina Hue' (Truth Heard Many Days Ago). As a social historian and cultural anthropologist, Narayan pioneered a methodological shift away from elite archives toward the oral traditions and folk myths of marginalized communities. He eventually legitimized "folk-ethnography" as a rigorous academic discipline during his tenure as Director of the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute.

Why link women’s reservation to delimitation? The unspoken political calculus

By Vikas Meshram* April 16, 2026, is likely to be recorded as a special day in the history of Indian democracy. In a three-day special session of Parliament, the central government is set to introduce a comprehensive package of three historic bills: the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Delimitation Bill, 2026; and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The stated purpose of all three is the same: to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (106th Constitutional Amendment) passed in 2023. However, the political intent concealed behind these measures — and their impact on the federal balance — is far more profound. It is absolutely essential to understand this.

Counterview

Search This Blog