Patna, February 20, 2007
During its 15-years in power, the Lalu-Rabri regime had done nothing for the economic, educational or social betterment of Muslims, alleged the Chairman of the Bihar State Minorities Commission (BSMC), Naushad Ahmad.Formally releasing a survey by the ADRI on the 'Socio-Economic and Educational Status of Muslims in Bihar', Ahmad said the report was submitted to the Rabri Government in 2004.The Government, at the time, had deliberately suppressed the findings of the survey and kept the minority community in the dark to garner their votes in the Assembly elections, he said.Ahmad promised to submit the BSMC’s recommendations to the NDA Government within three months, after going through the ADRI survey minutely. He claimed the main points that had been raised in the survey had already been incorporated in the 10-point programme that was being implemented by the State Government.According to the ADRI survey, 87 per cent of the total of 1.37 crore Muslims lived in rural areas. However, only 37 per cent of Muslim households had even the 1.91 acres of land that the minority community was supposed to have on an average, compared to the 2.32 acres average for the general population.The survey recommends that any measure taken for the general improvement of conditions in the rural areas would go a long way towards improving the economic condition of Muslims as well.Though Muslims formed a significant section of the population, they suffered from low income, widespread illiteracy and many other socio-economic disadvantages.The average annual income of a Muslim household was about Rs 31,000 in the rural areas and around Rs 43,000 in the urban areas. Assuming a 7-member household to be the norm among Muslims, the survey has estimated that about 49.5 per cent of the Muslim households in the countryside lived below the poverty line, compared to 44.3 per cent of the general population.The survey further suggests priority should be given to income-enhancing programmes, providing employment, acquisition of skills and making available to the minority population means for productive activities.Institutions promoted by Muslims to disseminate knowledge and skills were discriminated against in grant of affiliation, issue of no objection certificates (NOCs) and sanction or disbursement of grants-in-aid, the ADRI survey adds.
During its 15-years in power, the Lalu-Rabri regime had done nothing for the economic, educational or social betterment of Muslims, alleged the Chairman of the Bihar State Minorities Commission (BSMC), Naushad Ahmad.Formally releasing a survey by the ADRI on the 'Socio-Economic and Educational Status of Muslims in Bihar', Ahmad said the report was submitted to the Rabri Government in 2004.The Government, at the time, had deliberately suppressed the findings of the survey and kept the minority community in the dark to garner their votes in the Assembly elections, he said.Ahmad promised to submit the BSMC’s recommendations to the NDA Government within three months, after going through the ADRI survey minutely. He claimed the main points that had been raised in the survey had already been incorporated in the 10-point programme that was being implemented by the State Government.According to the ADRI survey, 87 per cent of the total of 1.37 crore Muslims lived in rural areas. However, only 37 per cent of Muslim households had even the 1.91 acres of land that the minority community was supposed to have on an average, compared to the 2.32 acres average for the general population.The survey recommends that any measure taken for the general improvement of conditions in the rural areas would go a long way towards improving the economic condition of Muslims as well.Though Muslims formed a significant section of the population, they suffered from low income, widespread illiteracy and many other socio-economic disadvantages.The average annual income of a Muslim household was about Rs 31,000 in the rural areas and around Rs 43,000 in the urban areas. Assuming a 7-member household to be the norm among Muslims, the survey has estimated that about 49.5 per cent of the Muslim households in the countryside lived below the poverty line, compared to 44.3 per cent of the general population.The survey further suggests priority should be given to income-enhancing programmes, providing employment, acquisition of skills and making available to the minority population means for productive activities.Institutions promoted by Muslims to disseminate knowledge and skills were discriminated against in grant of affiliation, issue of no objection certificates (NOCs) and sanction or disbursement of grants-in-aid, the ADRI survey adds.
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