DEVELOPMENT
Report on Al Falah's Seminar on Indian Muslims in Contemporary Economy
Prof. Ali Muhammad Khusro, former Vice- Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has urged Muslims to set up mass organisations to help the community, provide them with information of opportunities and train them so that their economic conditions might be ameliorated.
Addressing his key-note address at a seminar on "Contemporary Economic Systems and Indian Muslims" organised by Oriental Society and sponsored by Al-Falah Group of Companies in New Delhi on October 12. He also urged Muslims to pay more attention to education and open their institutions even for other communities. "Christians are the most educated as they have opened gates even for others," he pointed out.
The former Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh expressed regret that Muslims could not take advantage of new economic policies and the targeted results of progress could not be achieved. Progress will remain incomplete unless and until the Muslims get their rights, he stressed and continued that Muslims should have knowledge of the various schemes of the Government and how to exploit them.
He said that Indian banks should consider Islamic banking system and provide facilities for it. Muslims should also set up private banks and in 141 Muslims-dominated districts in the country, they should set up urban cooperative banks, he suggested.
Rejecting the concept of reservation for Muslims in jobs and education he said that they should not depend on quota and spread their wings in the field of education, particularly technical education, so that they might not need quota. The former Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Mr. Moosa Raza was critical of Dr. Manmohan Singh that the then Congress Government had disapproved his (Moosa Raza's) request for Muslims' representation in the National Minority Development Corporation (NMDC) (the authorised capital of which is Rs 500 crore) and its officials have granted a loan of Rs. 100 crores up to now and it is unknown where the money meant for minorities went.
He also criticised the nationalised banks for demanding margin money and guarantee for loan which they knew that Muslims cannot comply with. He suggested that the Government should set a condition that the private sectors borrowing money from nationalised banks should fix a quota for Muslims while employing people and a parliamentary committee of minorities be formed. He urged Muslims to pay more attention to self-employment schemes, education and information technology. He also urged Muslim educational institutions - AMU, JMI and Jamia Hamdard, etc. - to give a vision and outlook to the community.
Criticising the present system of banking for its failure to solve problems, Prof. Yaseen Mazhar Siddiqui of AMU said that all the systems, excluding Islam, are made by man of limited knowledge and power and they cannot solve problems. Islam lays emphasis on social system and on the one hand, it opens the gates of opportunities and on the other it has put a ban to exploitation and monopoly. Under the present system a limited number of people get benefited; and Islam salvages man from greed of money and prescribes provisions for correct distribution of wealth and property, he stressed.
As for insurance, Prof. Siddiqui said that some Muslims have allowed it on the pretext that owing to the need, the unlawful becomes lawful. The very approach is wrong, he added.
Prof. Syed Naseem Zaidi, Department of Economics, AMU urged Muslims to prepare themselves for competition which is increasing day by day.
Presiding over the function, Mr. Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, chairman of the Al-Falah Group, said that welfare cannot take place unless and until we ourselves do for our welfare.
He (suggested that) Madrasas might introduce ITI or other technical courses, (which worth cost) only Rs. Five or seven lakhs. He introduced a scheme Mutual Fund for Haj (so that) a Muslim intending to perform Haj may invest money for four years and perform Haj after the maturity of the bond.
He also suggested Muslim businessmen to (register) their businesses (with) Income Tax Offices.
(Courtesy: The Radiance, 19-25 October, 1997)
Government Statement On Socio-Economic Survey
The NSSO has already conducted the fifth quinquennial survey (NSS 50th round) on Consumer Expenditure and Employment and Unemployment during July 1993 to June, 1994. Feasible tables based on the survey data reflected of socio economic and educational status of Muslim Indians will be compiled and released shortly. Moreover, the sixth quinquennial round (NSS 55th round) will be taken up during July 1998 to June, 1999. As usual, the socio-economic and educational status of the religious minorities will be surveyed in that round too.
(Department of Statistics, Ministry of Planning's Letter No. I-34011/ 1/95-NSSO (CPD) dated 28 October, 1997 to S. Shahabuddin)
