MINORITIES COMISSION
NCM: Report for May-June, 1997
Action & Recommendations
Chairman Oath in Urdu in UP Assembly: wrote to the UP-CM Ms Mayawati urging her to let MLAs take oath in Urdu explaining the Constitutional and legal aspects.
Meerut Nari Niketan Marriages Case: Chairman instituted an inquiry into the reported incident of allegedly irregular inter-religious marriages of some inmates of Women's Homes in Meerut.
NCERT textbooks in Urdu: Taking suo motu cognizance of Press-reports on NCERT's failure to publish textbooks in Urdu allegedly resulting into deterioration of standards at Urdu medium schools, Chairman wrote to the NCERT director inquiring into reasons for this state of affairs.
Jamia Millia Islamia Strike: Chairman issued an appeal to the students urging them to suspend their strike in their larger academic interest.
Recommendations
The following Statutory Recommendations under Section 9 of the NCM Act were made to the Governments/other concerned authorities.
i) Enactment of a comprehensive law by Parliament formulating details of the Minorities Educational and Cultural Rights guaranteed by Articles 29-30 of the Constitution in the original spirit of these provisions so as to dispel doubts arising in this regard from time to time.
Pending such legislation, strict enforcement of the HRD Ministry's Policy Norms and Principles on Recognition of Ministry's Institutions, notified in 1989.
ii) Exemption of candidates belonging to Minority communities, for at least 15 years, from UGC's NET requirement for appointment as teachers in universities and colleges.
iii) Amendment of the Jamia Millia Islamia Act 1988 to specify and preserve minority character of the University.
iv) Enactment of central legislation for Hyderabad's Dairat-ul-Ma'arif and Dargah Syed Salar Masood Ghazi of Bahraich, on the lines of the Salarjung Museum Act, 1961 and Dargah Khwaja Saheb Act 1955 respectively, to ensure their proper management and utilization of funds.
v) Statutory clarification of the term "Special Consideration to Minorities" appearing in the text of PM's 15-point Programme 1983, so as to allow relaxation of general requirements concerning age, education and experience (as available for SC/STs).
vi) Repeal of the Proviso in Constitution (SC) Order 1950 denying SC status on the basis of religion.
vii) Immediate setting up of NCM's Regional Office in Maharashtra.
viii) Establishment of Minorities Commissions/Minorities Development and Finance Corporations in all those States where they do not exit at present.
(Source: NCM Newsletter Summer 1997)
Representation of Minorities in Police Service NCM Chairman's Letter to Welfare Minister,
10 October, 1997
Deeply appreciating the statement made by the Hon'ble Minister at a Muslim Meet in Delhi on 8 October, 1997 regarding the need to enhance the percentage of Minorities in the Police Service, the Chairman has urged the Government to take immediate steps
He has reminded the Minister that in 1995 the NCM had collected data which revealed that the percentage of Minorities, especially the Muslims, was deplorably disproportionate to their population in various States. In Delhi alone, for example, where the population of Minorities was 15.3 per cent their number in the Delhi Police was just 5.6 per cent. And in Kerala the percentage of Minorities in the State Police was a bare 27.87 per cent against their 42.66 per cent population in the State. The situation in the other States/UTs was no better.
The NCM had then made a Statutory Recommendation that relaxation of prescribed requirements for recruitment to Police Service, as already available to SC/ST candidates, should be extended also to the candidates belonging to Minorities. This, the NCM was convinced was essential if the Minorities were really to get their rightful share in the Police Service. However, the Government have yet to respond to this important recommendation.
The Chairman has further said the Minorities are still terribly underrepresented - often unrepresented – in Police and other allied services. In its Annual Report for 1996-97 recently submitted to the Government by the Commission observed that:
"Prime Minister's 15-Point Programme on Minorities' Welfare 1983 requires Special Consideration to be given to Minorities by the Central and State Governments in respect of recruitment to Police etc.
No Special Consideration, or any consideration at all for that matter, is being given to the Muslims and some other Minorities in respect of recruitment to any service in any part of the country. Nobody seems to know the meaning and implications of the term Special Consideration appearing in the 15-Point.
Programme: There is an urgent need to spell out full connotation and demands of the term Special Consideration and to ensure that such consideration is actually given to the Minorities". The Chairman has urged the Government to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the Minorities (get) their due share in Police and all other Government Services. He has asserted that "this is a Constitutional obligation all of us owe to them.
The Chairman has requested the welfare minister to place this matter before the Cabinet Committee for Minorities.
