A Report by Md. Ashfaque

During the last ten years (1990-1999) the number of registered unemployed on the live registers in West Bengal increased from 48,20,331 at the end of 1990 to 55,55,952 by the end of 1999. while more than 40,00,000 registered job seekers did not renew their registration or had their registration cancelled during this period. 47,66,176 new job seekers had registered their names.

Names of 21,09,560 (44 per cent of the number of new registrations during 1990-99 or 40 per cent of the average number of job seekers on the live register) were submitted during this period to the employers for consideration against vacancies. During the same period (1990-1999) 2,91,768 Muslims had come forward to register themselves, but the names of only 70,945 Muslims (24 per cent of the number of Muslims who had registered their names during the period or 10.58 per cent of the average number of Muslims on the live register) were submitted to the employers for consideration ...

At the end of 1999 there were 55,55,952 unemployed job seekers on the live register of employment exchanges in West Bengal. Out of these 55,55,952 registered job seekers 7,31,357 (13 per cent) were Muslims.

The average number of job seekers on the live register of employment exchanges during the last ten years was 52,72,997 (12.71 per cent). Out of this average of 52,72,997 the average annual submission was 2,10,956 (4 per cent) job seekers of all categories per annum. In the case of Muslims out of the average number of 6,70,443 (12.71 per cent) Muslim job seekers on the live registers the average submission was only 7,095 (1 per cent of the total names of Muslim job seekers on the live registers) per annum.

Despite the fact that about 13 per cent of the registered job seekers, available on the live register of employment exchanges, were Muslims, the total 21,09,560 names submitted during. these ten years to the employers for consideration against vacancies included the names of only -70,945 Muslims: (3.36 per cent of the total submissions).

During these ten years (1990-99) out of the 93,156 registered unemployed persons placed in employment through the employment exchanges only 4232 (4.54 per cent) were Muslims. Out of the total 21,09,560 submissions made by the employment exchanges during the ten year period 93,156 persons (4 per cent) had succeeded in getting placements in jobs.

In the case of Muslims out of 70,945 names of registered Muslim job seekers whose names were submitted to the employers during these ten years 4,232 (6 per cent) were successful in getting jobs through the employment exchanges. Success rate in the case of Muslims (6 per cent of the total Muslim names submitted for consideration by the employers) was, therefore, higher than the average success rates in all categories (4 per cent of the total submissions).

This shows that the Muslim job seekers are not in any way inferior to others. Muslims of West Bengal do not lag behind others in meeting the criteria for being selected to jobs but still. they are denied equality in employment opportunity. They are placed. in a disadvantageous position because of bias and prejudice in matters of submission of names. The concerned authorities of the State Government are not doing proper justice with the registered Muslim job seekers in the matter of submission and are submitting very few names of Muslim job seekers for consideration by the employers. This discrimination has been going on for a long time. For the Muslims in West Bengal the constitutional guarantees of equality in employment opportunity have proved to be a false promise ...

The Muslim confidence in the Employment Exchanges has been badly shaken. (That is why) over the years the number of unemployed Muslims coming forward to register their names in the Employment Exchanges has fallen from 47,908 in 1990 to an average of 27,096 per year during 1991-99. During this period more than 1,60,000 frustrated Muslim job seekers did not renew their registrations or had got their names cancelled from the live register of employment exchanges.

West Bengal accounts for 8 per cent of the total population of India. According to the Census (1991,Muslim population) was 1,60,75,836 (17 per cent of the total 9,52,22,853 Muslim population of India).

... West Bengal is second only to Uttar Pradesh which has a Muslim population of 2,41,09,684 (25 per cent of the total Muslim population of India).

Muslims in West Bengal constituted 24 per cent of the total population of the State. Scheduled Castes. Accounts for 24% and Scheduled Tribes for 6 per cent of the population of the State in 1991. The population of Other Backward Classes in West Bengal is estimated to be about 10 per cent of the total population of the State. Under the Governor Orders 37 per cent of the jobs in the West Bengal State Services are reserved for Scheduled Castes (22 per cent, Scheduled Tribes (6 per cent) and Other Backward Classes (9 per cent).

Though Muslims are (clearly) underrepresented in the services there is no provision for any reservation for them in West Bengal. Some other States like Kerala.