No complaint by minorities against officials in Ballari district during 18 months
Karnataka State Minorities Commission Chairperson U. Nisar Ahmed said the Commission is committed to protecting the rights and welfare of minority communities, and ensuring that
Karnataka State Minorities Commission Chairperson U. Nisar Ahmed said the Commission is committed to protecting the rights and welfare of minority communities, and ensuring that they received the benefits of government welfare schemes without discrimination. Chairing the district-level review meeting on implementation of the Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme at the District Administration Building in Ballari on June 30, he said the Commission had constituted special sub-committees on education, women empowerment, youth empowerment, and eradication of social evils. These committees would conduct studies across Karnataka, and submit recommendations to the government for strengthening minority welfare initiatives. “Six communities – Muslims, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs and Parsis – had been recognised as minorities in the country. The government had established a three-tier monitoring mechanism comprising the State-level 15-Point Programme Committee, District-level Committee, and Beneficiary Schemes Monitoring Committee to oversee the implementation of welfare measures,” Mr. Nisar Ahmed said.
He said government rules mandate that 15% of beneficiaries under individual-oriented welfare schemes implemented by various departments should belong to minority communities. A committee headed by the Chairperson of the Minorities Commission monitors the implementation of this provision. The Chairperson said members of minority communities, who were denied legitimate benefits or faced injustice at the hands of any government department or official, could directly approach the Commission. “The Commission enjoys powers equivalent to those of a civil court, and is empowered to issue summons to officials while inquiring into complaints. Such cases are heard and disposed of every month,” he said. Expressing surprise that no complaint had been received from Ballari district during the past one-and-a-half years, Mr. Nisar Ahmed said the absence of complaints did not necessarily indicate the absence of problems. “Rather, it could reflect inadequate public awareness about the Commission’s powers and functions,” he said.
He directed officials to undertake mapping and enumeration of minority-populated areas in the district, and ensure that no family is left out of the survey. He told the Women and Child Development and Education departments to identify children in the 3-6 age group, obtain details of those who had attained six years of age during the previous year, and bring out-of-school children back into the formal education system. Voicing concern over the high rate of illiteracy among minority communities, particularly Muslims, he said the 2011 Census indicated that 43.76% of Muslims were illiterate. “Education is fundamental to social progress. The Right to Education Act made free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 years a legal obligation. Officials need to create awareness among parents about enrolling their children in school,” he said. The Chairperson instructed officials of the Health Department and the Slum Development Board to identify minority-dominated slum areas, and prepare proposals for establishing Namma Clinics, primary health centres, or maternity hospitals based on population requirements.
The BriefWire