Succour punch
Beyond political speeches and public posturings lies the truth. The ruling class has paid lip service to the community for decades and large sections of India's Muslims have struggled to keep up with a nation on a rapid growth curve. Even the Prime Minister's 15-point programme, devised to eradicate the problems of the minorities, hasn't been of much help.
Says Nafees Ansari, former principal of Zeenat Mahal Government Senior Secondary School: “In our country, formation of committees is the only solution. These committees take forever to diagnose an ailment. The process is so lengthy that by the time a treatment is prescribed the ailment either takes a new shape or becomes incurable.” The 15-point programme, she adds, is no different. "The suggested remedies remain on paper."
Dr Zafar Mehmood, chairman, Zakat Foundation of India and former bureaucrat, echoes the same sentiment. He was associated with the Sachar Committee and is now aggressively pursuing the implementation of minority welfare schemes. “Solutions are available. The problem is at the bureaucratic level. The bureaucracy does lacks the need will.”
Dr Mehmood says: “There is need for proper monitoring of schemes. The ministry of minority affairs has now appointed state-level monitors in the hope that this would speed up implementation.”
Praising the work done in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh, Dr Mehmood says: “Excellent work has been done in this district but the situation is rather disappointing in the rest of the country”.
He adds: “The Union government decided last year the Centre would pay salaries of Urdu teachers in minority-concentrated areas. An order on this was to be issued by state governments. Nowhere except Maharashtra has this been done."
In 1980, a high-level committee was constituted by the Union government under the chairmanship of Dr Gopal Singh. Based on the committe's findings, a 15-point programme was launched in 1983 to hasten the socio-economic development of the minorities.
In its early stages, the focus was on communal riots, representation of minorities in services and ensuring the flow of benefits to the targetted groups. In 2005, this programme was revised. On June 22, 2006, the revamped plan was approved by the Union Cabinet. The emphasis was now on education, modernising madarsa learning, healthcare facilities and recruitment of minorities in the services.
But five years on, little has changed for the minorities. Most initiatives taken under the programme have at best been symbolic in nature.
One of the agenda items at the Delhi government's last Cabinet meeting was “Action taken/proposed to be taken by various departments... with regard to implementation of Prime Minister's New 15-point programme..."
TSI accessed a copy of the Cabinet note. It revealed that the Delhi government has done virtually nothing for the minorities in the field of education with regard to points 2 and 3 of the 15-point programme – improving access to school education and modernising madarsa education.
The note states: “The Directorate of Education, government of NCT of Delhi has informed 10 additional classrooms have been constructed in Buland Masjid School, Shastri Nagar, District North-East, 14 classrooms (Nand Nagri-04, Chauhan Bangar-06 and Seelampur-04) have been constructed in MCD schools. It was further informed that four classrooms are under construction in Rouse Avenue, District-Central, New Delhi. It is proposed to open Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidaylaya in a rented building in Mustafabad, District-North-East”.
The Cabinet note is completely silent on modernisation of madarsa education. Another point of the programme is greater resources for teaching Urdu. With regard to this point, the Cabinet note states, “It was also informed that nine posts pf PMT and six posts of TGT in Urdu are vacant. These posts have not been filled in spite of a request to Urdu Academy.” The Delhi CM is chairperson of Urdu Academy.
Asked about this, the secretary of Urdu Academy, Marghoob Abidi, says: “Actually there were some problems regarding recruitment rules but now they are ready and have been sent to the department”.
The former chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission, Kamal Farooqui, told TSI, “Shiela Dikshit wanted appointment of Urdu teachers to be done immediately. In one meeting she even asked the Department of Education to form a separate selection board for appointment of Urdu teachers but nothing had been done”.
In the Cabinet note, there is a mention of the Delhi Police response with regard to recruitment to Central and State Services. The note states: “The Delhi Police informed that no posts are reserved for minority community. However, direct recruitments are made by advertising the vacancies in leading newspapers and Employment News. Delhi Police has developed a highly professional and transparent recruitment process, which has been given ISO 9000-2000 certification.”
It elaborates: “Delhi Police follows a transparent system such as video graphing of outdoor and indoor tests, rotation of interview board on a daily basis and only 10 marks for interview. One officer belonging to SC/ST category is nominated in the interview board. Moreover, efforts are also made to nominate a member from the minority community... It was also decided appropriate publicity of recruitment will be done (among minorities).”
Blaming the bureaucracy for non-implementation of the 15-point programme, Farooqui asks: “When the PM has himself asked for representation of minorities in every service selection board, why it is not being implemented?”
Senior journalist and columnist Zafar Agha says: “Minorities, particularly Muslims, were optimistic after the Sachar Committee report was tabled. But not even 1% of the work has been done.”
Rajya Sabha member Mohd Adeeb says: “The will to implement decisions is missing in the government machinery. Because of non-implementation, these decisions remain mere political slogans.”
“Muslims," he adds, "face an awkward situation. They get nothing, yet end up becoming targets of the majority community. One political party takes credit for being pro-Muslim, while the other screams appeasement of minorities”.
Blame it on what you will, the welfare of minorities on the ground level isn't visible. Problems continue to haunt the community. The disease has been diagnosed, the medicine has been prescribed, but the treatment has to begin in right earnest.
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Beyond political speeches and public posturings lies the truth. The ruling class has paid lip service to the community for decades and large sections of India's Muslims have struggled to keep up with a nation on a rapid growth curve. Even the Prime Minister's 15-point programme, devised to eradicate the problems of the minorities, hasn't been of much help.
Says Nafees Ansari, former principal of Zeenat Mahal Government Senior Secondary School: “In our country, formation of committees is the only solution. These committees take forever to diagnose an ailment. The process is so lengthy that by the time a treatment is prescribed the ailment either takes a new shape or becomes incurable.” The 15-point programme, she adds, is no different. "The suggested remedies remain on paper."
Dr Zafar Mehmood, chairman, Zakat Foundation of India and former bureaucrat, echoes the same sentiment. He was associated with the Sachar Committee and is now aggressively pursuing the implementation of minority welfare schemes. “Solutions are available. The problem is at the bureaucratic level. The bureaucracy does lacks the need will.”
Dr Mehmood says: “There is need for proper monitoring of schemes. The ministry of minority affairs has now appointed state-level monitors in the hope that this would speed up implementation.”
Praising the work done in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh, Dr Mehmood says: “Excellent work has been done in this district but the situation is rather disappointing in the rest of the country”.
He adds: “The Union government decided last year the Centre would pay salaries of Urdu teachers in minority-concentrated areas. An order on this was to be issued by state governments. Nowhere except Maharashtra has this been done."
In 1980, a high-level committee was constituted by the Union government under the chairmanship of Dr Gopal Singh. Based on the committe's findings, a 15-point programme was launched in 1983 to hasten the socio-economic development of the minorities.
In its early stages, the focus was on communal riots, representation of minorities in services and ensuring the flow of benefits to the targetted groups. In 2005, this programme was revised. On June 22, 2006, the revamped plan was approved by the Union Cabinet. The emphasis was now on education, modernising madarsa learning, healthcare facilities and recruitment of minorities in the services.
But five years on, little has changed for the minorities. Most initiatives taken under the programme have at best been symbolic in nature.
One of the agenda items at the Delhi government's last Cabinet meeting was “Action taken/proposed to be taken by various departments... with regard to implementation of Prime Minister's New 15-point programme..."
TSI accessed a copy of the Cabinet note. It revealed that the Delhi government has done virtually nothing for the minorities in the field of education with regard to points 2 and 3 of the 15-point programme – improving access to school education and modernising madarsa education.
The note states: “The Directorate of Education, government of NCT of Delhi has informed 10 additional classrooms have been constructed in Buland Masjid School, Shastri Nagar, District North-East, 14 classrooms (Nand Nagri-04, Chauhan Bangar-06 and Seelampur-04) have been constructed in MCD schools. It was further informed that four classrooms are under construction in Rouse Avenue, District-Central, New Delhi. It is proposed to open Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidaylaya in a rented building in Mustafabad, District-North-East”.
The Cabinet note is completely silent on modernisation of madarsa education. Another point of the programme is greater resources for teaching Urdu. With regard to this point, the Cabinet note states, “It was also informed that nine posts pf PMT and six posts of TGT in Urdu are vacant. These posts have not been filled in spite of a request to Urdu Academy.” The Delhi CM is chairperson of Urdu Academy.
Asked about this, the secretary of Urdu Academy, Marghoob Abidi, says: “Actually there were some problems regarding recruitment rules but now they are ready and have been sent to the department”.
The former chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission, Kamal Farooqui, told TSI, “Shiela Dikshit wanted appointment of Urdu teachers to be done immediately. In one meeting she even asked the Department of Education to form a separate selection board for appointment of Urdu teachers but nothing had been done”.
In the Cabinet note, there is a mention of the Delhi Police response with regard to recruitment to Central and State Services. The note states: “The Delhi Police informed that no posts are reserved for minority community. However, direct recruitments are made by advertising the vacancies in leading newspapers and Employment News. Delhi Police has developed a highly professional and transparent recruitment process, which has been given ISO 9000-2000 certification.”
It elaborates: “Delhi Police follows a transparent system such as video graphing of outdoor and indoor tests, rotation of interview board on a daily basis and only 10 marks for interview. One officer belonging to SC/ST category is nominated in the interview board. Moreover, efforts are also made to nominate a member from the minority community... It was also decided appropriate publicity of recruitment will be done (among minorities).”
Blaming the bureaucracy for non-implementation of the 15-point programme, Farooqui asks: “When the PM has himself asked for representation of minorities in every service selection board, why it is not being implemented?”
Senior journalist and columnist Zafar Agha says: “Minorities, particularly Muslims, were optimistic after the Sachar Committee report was tabled. But not even 1% of the work has been done.”
Rajya Sabha member Mohd Adeeb says: “The will to implement decisions is missing in the government machinery. Because of non-implementation, these decisions remain mere political slogans.”
“Muslims," he adds, "face an awkward situation. They get nothing, yet end up becoming targets of the majority community. One political party takes credit for being pro-Muslim, while the other screams appeasement of minorities”.
Blame it on what you will, the welfare of minorities on the ground level isn't visible. Problems continue to haunt the community. The disease has been diagnosed, the medicine has been prescribed, but the treatment has to begin in right earnest.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Katrina Kaif: A British Indian Actress Born on July 16, 1984
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IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
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