The Sachar Committee Report, also known as the "Prime Minister's High Level Committee on the Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India," was a report commissioned by the Government of India in 2006 to assess the socio-economic and educational status of Muslims in India. The report was released in November 2006 and was prepared by a committee headed by Justice Rajinder Sachar, a retired Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.
One of the main findings of the Sachar Committee Report was that Muslims in India face significant socio-economic and educational disadvantages compared to other religious groups. The report found that Muslims have lower levels of education, higher levels of poverty, and lower levels of employment compared to Hindus and other religious groups in India. Additionally, the report found that Muslims are underrepresented in the civil service, police, and other government institutions.
The Sachar Committee Report also highlighted the discrimination and social exclusion that Muslims face in India. The report found that Muslims are often subject to discrimination and violence, and are often denied access to housing, education, and employment opportunities. Additionally, the report found that Muslims are often denied access to government schemes and benefits that are intended to improve the socio-economic status of disadvantaged communities.
In response to the findings of the Sachar Committee Report, the Government of India implemented a number of initiatives to address the socio-economic and educational disadvantages faced by Muslims in India. These initiatives included the setting up of a Ministry of Minority Affairs, the implementation of affirmative action policies in education and employment, and the creation of a special fund to support the socio-economic development of Muslims in India.
Overall, the Sachar Committee Report was an important step in addressing the socio-economic and educational disadvantages faced by Muslims in India. The report brought to light the discrimination and social exclusion that Muslims face in India, and provided recommendations for addressing these issues. While progress has been made in addressing the challenges faced by Muslims in India, there is still much work to be done to ensure that all members of society have equal opportunities and are able to fully participate in the social, economic, and political life of the country.
The Sachar Committee Report: A Mere Demographic Data Collection Or A Politics Of Appeasement
While quantifying the contribution that a company claims to have made towards social obligations, the social report should specify that no part of the benefits from contribution made by the company have gone either to the directors or their relatives or to any association in which the directors and their relatives have any personal interest. Similarly, the waste discharge from the factories resulting in loss of fish and thereby depriving a large number of fishermen of their livelihood and also posing a risk to those eating fish would certainly be ranked as an irresponsible act. It should be obligatory on a company to give a social report every year showing to what extent it has been able to meet its social obligations. Employment According to the findings of the Sachar Committee, Muslims have a considerably lower representation in jobs in the government including those in the Public Sector Undertakings compared to other SRCs. According to an analysis, in all other States, the percentage of Muslims in government employment is half of their population proportion. But it would not be easy to have official acceptance of the caste principle.
It suggested that social costs-benefit analysis, which was one of the prime considerations for investment decisions in the public sector, ought to be taken into account in the matter of investments in the private sector. The community, according to these studies, as mentioned by the Committee, is placed into two broad categories , namely, ashraf and ajlaf. In the context of Muslim OBCs, the Committee concluded that the abysmally low representation of Muslim OBCs suggests that the benefits of entitlements meant for the Backward Classes are yet to reach them. Recent studies have found some useful clues to the puzzle of Muslim children exhibiting a survival advantage, which provides newer insights on the status of women in different communities. It is difficult to understand the politics of such decisions. Under these Articles, the State is empowered to make special provisions for the socially and economically backward classes, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The picture regarding bank loans to members of the minority is not bright, according to the findings of the Sachar Committee.
While these insights help broaden the scope of the gender-injustice debate, several other findings of the Sachar Committee Report can help break myths about Muslims that relate to falling fertility rates and the increased use of contraceptives. Moreover, despite no significant differences in access to public health services, a higher proportion of Muslim mothers tend to seek treatment for diarrhea, which is one of the leading causes of child death. Every company apart from being able to justify itself on the test of economic viability will have to pass the test of a socially responsible entity. The overall Muslim presence of 7. It was made abundantly clear that the EOC should cover all under-privileged groups that could potentially face discrimination, including Dalits, women, and Other Backward Classes OBCs.
The Committee collected data from the various Censuses, the National Sample Survey Organisation NSSO , banks and, of course, from the Central and State Governments. The report was presented before both of the Houses of Parliament i. Under a special component plan, allocation may be made in the states proportionate to the percentage of Muslims in that state. What followed was an uproar both in the Parliament, as well as in the streets. In absolute numbers, this amounts to over 251 million people spread across India. Among the Hindus, and various other minority groups, this report gave rise to a feeling of strong discontentment and being discriminated with.
Suggestions Given by Sachar Committee Regarding Social Responsibilities of Companies in India
It is important to recognize that mainstreaming would require a significant change in the nature of politics. Owing to this declaration many Muslim social groups got reservation in different parts of the country under the Backward Classes category. The cabinet approved the recommendations of the committee with alacrity and the Ministry of Minority Affairs was made the nodal ministry to monitor implementation. The highest percentage figure of government employment for Muslims is in Assam 11. Thus, a chemical company which may declare very high dividend may yet be responsible for polluting the water and air and would have to be named as a socially irresponsible company. In 2005, the then Prime Minister of India Dr.
But the Government defended it as a measure to collect authentic data useful in effective policy formulation and targeted implementation and continued with its implementation. Most issues critical for Muslims, such as education, security, political participation, and employment are decided much more by state governments than by the national government. The committee submitted its report in 2006 and the report was available in public domain on 30 November 2006. INTRODUCTION A recent petition in the Supreme Court has caused some ripples in the Indian politico-legal system and has risen many dead ghosts of the past. Muslim mothers are taller indicating long-term health and are less likely to be undernourished at the time of birth.
Perspectives on Muslims in India: Sachar Committee Report and its Aftermath
The result was that in 2009 general elections, the Indian National Congress was able to secure 200+ seats, much better than its 2004 performance. This highlights two things: first, that the decisions are to be taken in collectivity, that is to say, the entire Council has to be in tandem on the advice given to the President, and secondly, that though the actions are taken in the name of the President, they are actually taken and implemented by the Prime Minister along with his Council of Ministers. Justice Rajindar Sachar, former Chief Justice of the Delhi HC, and therefore, the Committee was named as the Sachar Committee. On the basis of these instances, the petitioners suggest that the notification is in severe contravention of Article 340 and therefore, should be declared void. These recommendations were mainly in the form of some affirmative action on the part of the Government, like establishing high-quality schools in Muslim dominated regions, linking of madarsa as with the common education system, giving incentives to both public and private entities to ensure diversity in their workforce by employing more Muslims in factories and offices, taking steps to ensure more representation of the Muslim community in the Central and State Legislatures among various other recommendations.
In fact, every policy measure that can potentially affect Muslims is being attributed to the Sachar Committee, irrespective of whether or not it had a place in the report. The members of the Committee visited different parts of the country to assess the grassroots situation and grasp the realities by experience rather than merely with the help of statistics brought to their desks by investigators. This article uses Please consider converting them to August 2022 The Sachar Committee was a seven-member High Level Committee in India established in March 2005 by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. . On the economic front, the Committee observes that liberalisation of the economy has resulted in displacement of Muslims from their traditional occupations, thus depriving them of their livelihood. Where Muslim OBCs have not been listed, such an exercise must be completed in a time-bound manner. There are some factors that need to be considered in view of the low employment figures for Muslims on an all-India basis.
