Implementation of Sachar Committee Recommendations (Status up to 30.11.2018)

In 2016-17, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan had a total budget of Rs. 72,949.01 crores. Of this, Rs. 14,328.05 crores was for minorities, but only Rs. 7,005.68 crores was spent.

To improve Muslim girls’ participation in education, the Sachar Committee had recommended setting up residential Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (upper primary schools for girls from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minority communities) in ‘educationally backward’ blocks. Till September 30, 2018, 835 such schools were sanctioned in 88 districts with a high Muslim population in 18 states/union territories. Of these, 576 were operational but only 21.21 per cent of the enrolled students were Muslim.

The Sachar Committee had suggested that new Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSSs), which provide vocational training to non-literates, neo-literatesand school dropouts, be set up in districts with a high Muslim population. This implementation report says that JSSs are imparting training in 33 of the 88 ‘Muslim-concentration’ districts in the country, but no new JSSs have been set up since 2014-15.

The Committee advised the University Grants Commission to set up women’s hostels in colleges and universities in areas with a high Muslim concentration. 285 such hostels were sanctioned in 90 districts during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12). In 2016-17, 238 out of total of 1,172 women’s hostels in the country were sanctioned in minority-concentration districts, but there were none sanctioned in 2017-18 or 2018-19.

Between 2005 and 2017, 12,842 minority education institute certificates were given to madrasas, making their secondary and senior secondary qualifications equivalent to those of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

To help modernise madrasas, the Scheme of Providing Quality Education in Madarsas (SPQEM) and the Infrastructure Development of Minority Institutions (IDMI) scheme were set up in 2006-07. In 2017-18, Rs. 77.60 crores was released under SPQEM to assist 4,720 madarsas and 12,518 teachers. Under IDMI, Rs. 30.30 crores was released for 156 institutions.

To promote microfinance among women, the Department of Financial Services opened over 7.93 lakh accounts for minority women, giving them access to cumulative microcredit of Rs. 8,985 crores in 2017-18. In 2018-19 (till June 30, 2018), over 7.10 lakh accounts had been opened, given these women access to cumulative microcredit of Rs. 6,907 crores.

A programme providing basic amenities and employment opportunities in 90 minority-concentration districts was launched in 2008-09. The projects under this programme included the construction of houses, health centres, drinking water facilities, anganwadis, school buildings, residential schools, colleges, additional classrooms and hostels.

An inter-ministerial task force was constituted under the Planning Commission to address problems related to civic amenities, infrastructure and economic opportunities. This task force identified 338 towns/cities with a substantial minority population (of which 251 were ‘backward’) and advised the government departments and ministries to address the health, educational and civic needs of these towns/cities.

In 2007, an expert group was set up to determine the structure and function of the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC), which would develop mechanisms for affirmative action. Based on this group’s report, the Cabinet in 2014 approved the setting up of the EOC through an Act of Parliament. However, the Modi government asked the Cabinet to withdraw its approval.

The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005, to develop mechanisms for the compensation and rehabilitation of riot victims, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2005, but not taken up for consideration. Instead, the Prevention of Communal Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2013 was prepared and approved by the Cabinet in 2013. This bill came up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha in 2014 but was deferred.

The Sachar Committee had recommended posting Muslim police personnel in thanas and Muslim health personnel and teachers in Muslim-concentration areas. However, the Muslim police personnel in 18 states/union territories decreased from 3.6 per cent to 2.09 per cent between June and December 2017. 

The Committee also advised state governments to improve the representation of minorities in urban and rural local bodies. 13 states/UTs provided information to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj about the representation of minorities in their rural local bodies; seven states/UTs said minorities were already represented in these bodies or there was a provision for their representation; seven states/UTs did not provide this information; and the remaining states/UTs provided individual responses.

Focus and Factoids by Shankhyaneel Sarkar and Vaishnavi Iyer.