Author: Akhilesh Suman
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: February 22, 2007
The Union Rural Development Ministry has taken
the lead in awarding communal quota in the country's development programmes.
The Ministry has demarcated separate fund for the minorities in its various
ongoing programmes.
The programmes under which the minority quota
has to be earmarked are Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), Sampoorna Gramin Rojgar
Yojana (SGRY) and Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY), which are already
under implementation without any discrimination on the basis of caste or religion.
According to the official statement, the Ministry
"has revised the Indira Awaas Yojana guidelines for making provision
for earmarking of funds for BPL minorities in each State."
An amount of Rs 581.20 crore has been earmarked
for the minorities during the current financial year under IAY for construction
of 2.30 lakh houses. The revised guidelines clearly state that district-wise
allocation and targets were to be decided by each State on the basis of concentration
of minorities in the districts.
However, the targets are to be achieved only
out of the existing allocation of each district and no additional funds are
provided for the purpose.
Similarly, under SGRY, Rs 290.39 crore has
been earmarked for minorities.
Under SGSY, 1,63,660 persons (swarozgaries)
are to be assisted from among minorities during 2006-07.
Interestingly, the letters in this regard
were written to the State Governments in the beginning of this month and the
sum earmarked for the minorities are to be spent during the current financial
year ending March. This is a clear indication that the Government wants to
take a political mileage out of it before the UP election.
Incidentally, UP is the biggest beneficiary
of this demarcation due to its population of minorities. According to the
guidelines, Rs 5,650.43 lakh have been earmarked for the minorities under
SGRY, and Rs 11,938.04 lakh for IAY. The guidelines also give the number of
target beneficiaries as 33,616 persons to be given under SGSY and 47,247 houses
for minorities under IAY scheme.
The guidelines clearly state that the minorities
include Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis. However in States,
where national minorities are in majority, other minorities have to be given
benefit under this guideline.
Accordingly, in Punjab Sikhs would not come
under this, in Jammu and Kashmir Muslims would be excluded and in Meghalaya,
Nagaland and Mizoram Christians would be out of this provision.
Incidentally, so far, no Union Ministry has
come forward to implement Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 15-point programme
for the minorities. Even the Reserve Bank of India declined to order its banks
to grant loans on the basis of religion.
