02-08-2007, 06:06 AM
Religious mapping over ministries asked to use data
Ahead of the possible tabling of the action-taken report on the Sachar committee findings in Parliament, more than a dozen ministries are being asked to use a new religion-based demographic statistics for executing minority welfare programmes.
A source in the Minority Affairs Ministry, which carried out the nationwide religious mapping based on the latest census data, said the move aims at "focused" implementation of minority schemes.
The demographic profiling, which has drawn flak from the BJP, was completed a month after the Sachar committee report on Muslims was tabled in Parliament.
Faced with elections in Uttar Pradesh, home to a large Muslim population, the Centre has already announced that it will implement the Sachar report in toto.
"The mapping is over and now eight ministries involved in minority welfare programmes are being asked to use it as a basis for focussed implementation of all such schemes," the source said.
Inter-ministerial discussions, he said, were on over the prime minister's 15-point minority welfare programme.
<b>"Areas with more than 25 per cent of minority population will be priority zones while executing such schemes," he added]
The religious mapping shows that more than 100 districts have a 25 per cent-plus minority population, the source said. </b>
The ministry has sought setting up of an inter-ministerial task force for implemention of minority plans as it laid special emphasis on development of border districts, where civic infrastructure is found to be weak
Ahead of the possible tabling of the action-taken report on the Sachar committee findings in Parliament, more than a dozen ministries are being asked to use a new religion-based demographic statistics for executing minority welfare programmes.
A source in the Minority Affairs Ministry, which carried out the nationwide religious mapping based on the latest census data, said the move aims at "focused" implementation of minority schemes.
The demographic profiling, which has drawn flak from the BJP, was completed a month after the Sachar committee report on Muslims was tabled in Parliament.
Faced with elections in Uttar Pradesh, home to a large Muslim population, the Centre has already announced that it will implement the Sachar report in toto.
"The mapping is over and now eight ministries involved in minority welfare programmes are being asked to use it as a basis for focussed implementation of all such schemes," the source said.
Inter-ministerial discussions, he said, were on over the prime minister's 15-point minority welfare programme.
<b>"Areas with more than 25 per cent of minority population will be priority zones while executing such schemes," he added]
The religious mapping shows that more than 100 districts have a 25 per cent-plus minority population, the source said. </b>
The ministry has sought setting up of an inter-ministerial task force for implemention of minority plans as it laid special emphasis on development of border districts, where civic infrastructure is found to be weak