STATUS  REPORT KARNATAKA

Findings of High-Power Committee on Socio-Economic and Educational Survey - 1994 of Religious Minorities in Karnataka

The survey covered 88% of the Muslims, 79% of Christians and 83% of Jains in the State. The coverage of other minorities like Sikhs, Parsees and Buddhists has been less than 50%. The total 1994 population of these three minority communities is estimated to be about 89,000 as against the total population of all minorities which is estimated at 69.12 lakhs. The coverage is 59.45 lakhs population which account for 86% of the total estimated population of minorities. In all 10,39,566 minorities households accounting for a population of 59,44,610 have been covered in the survey. The average family size of all minorities is 5.7.

The sex-ratio among minorities is 930 females per thousand males (compared to 961 females per thousand males in the general population of the state as per 1991 Census.

Muslim population is 0.52%. Widows/widowers constitute 5.73% of the minority population of them 10.24% were widows and 1.58% widowers.

Digambar Jains have the highest rural population at 76.11% and Swethambar Jains have the lowest rural population at 13.43% Muslim rate of illiteracy is 47%. Muslims have the lowest level of education after 7th standard.

Overall literacy level of minorities in the state is 56 percent. 37.67% are educated up to 7th standard and only 18.33% are educated above 7th standard.

Age group wise analysis of children belonging to minorities who are attending schools indicates 36.42% in the age group 6-10 years, 38.46% in the age group 11-13 years and 26.28% in the age group 14-16 years, which shows that over 60 per cent of population in the age group 6-16 years is not attending schools.

76% of Muslims in the age group 14-16 years were not attending schools.

The overall percentage of unemployment among the minorities was 10.

Average annual income of 52% of the minority households was less than Rs.6000. The percentage of households having annual income from Rs. 6001 - 10000 was 15 and households with annual income of over Rs. 10000 were 33 per cent.

The percentage of the Muslim households with less than Rs.6000 annual income was highest at 64.67% in Bidar district, followed by Bijapur district where the percentage of such households was 63.87%

Percentage of Muslim households with Rs. 10001 and above annual income was highest in Bangalore urban district (47.15), followed by Dakshina Kannada district where the percentage of such households was 45.78. Among the remaining districts except in the Districts of Kodagu, Mysore and Uttara Kannada  less than 30 per cent of the households reported income less than Rs. 10000 per annum. Representation of minorities in public service was 1.61 percent of their population. The percentage of Muslims was less.

Representation of minorities in defense services was only 0.08 per cent.

98,194 persons or 1.65 per cent of the Minorities population was working as beedi workers and 94 per cent of them were Muslims.

Minorities have 6 doctors for every 10,000 of their population only 5 among Muslims.

There were 5 engineers in a population of 10,000 among minorities. Only 4 among Muslims.

Only 0.3 per cent of the minorities were engaged in wholesale business 1.4 per cent of minorities were engaged in retail business of Muslims 1.5.0.3% of the minorities were engaged in street vending.

Money lenders advanced loans to 3.55% of minority households and the banks to 7.64% of minority households.

4.52 percent of the total cultivators in the state as per 1991 Census were from among the minorities.

36.53 percent Muslim households did not have electricity in their houses. 66.22 percent of the Muslim did not have toilets in their houses. 38.55 percent of the Muslim did not have bathing facility in their houses.

Drinking water facility in their houses was not available to 38.94% of Muslims.

More than 2/3rd of the minority households did not have sewerage connection to their houses.

Fire wood as a fuel was used by 65 percent of the minority households.

3.7 percent of the owners of the houses had obtained benefit under Ashraya.

10.4 percent of the widows were beneficiaries under widow pension scheme.

10.08 percent of the minority population entitled to

vote was not enrolled as voters.

Only 74.89 percent of the minority households had ration cards.

52 percent of the minority households were eligible. to hold green cards. Of these less than 50 percent were provided with green cards.

Among the minorities for every 10,000 persons, 3,02 persons were blind, 2.6 persons were deaf and dumb, 2.40 person were polio affected, 4.70 persons were mentally retarded, 2.90 persons cancer patients, 3.90 persons were affected by T.B. and 2.60 persons were affected by leprosy.

22.42 percent of the urban households live in slums. Majority of slum dwellers were Muslims.

The number of households as a percentage of total households of respective communities who were members of various Co-operative Societies as Muslims 6.40.