In pursuance to its electoral promise of enhancing the reservation to minorities in education and Government jobs to 12per cent, the Telangana Government announced setting up a Commission of Inquiry into the economic and educational conditions of minorities in the State.
The Commission, headed by retired IAS officer G Sudhir and comprising of two members, will go into various issues including the representation of minorities in jobs in Government and quasi-Government bodies and private sector, access of minorities to bank credit and allied services, and the benefits they were getting under the Government welfare programmes, institutional mechanism to implement them and compare their status with the other communities.
The Commission has been set up under the Commission of Inquiries Act 1952. Apart from collecting the data from the Central and the State Governments and agencies, the Commission will also conduct intensive surveys and submit a comprehensive report to the Government in six months.The Commission will also go into income and educational levels of minorities, their social status on the basis of literacy rate and health.
On the basis of the data gathered and analysed, the Commission will be recommend measures to remove the impediments in the improvement of over all social, economic and educational conditions of minorities and to provide for reservations in education and employment to the poor and deserving minorities.
The TRS Government also announced a similar Commission of Inquiry for the Scheduled Tribes as it had made election promise of increasing their reservation in jobs and education to 12per cent. Presently they have 7.5 per cent reservation while Muslim minority has 4.5per cent reservation. But a Damocles’ Sword is hanging over the Muslim quota as it has been challenged in the Supreme Court and a Constitutional bench was hearing the case.
The new Commission on the status of Scheduled Tribes will prepare a report on their population and on their social, economic and educational backwardness. It will also consider various tribes to be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes. The Government said that such a Commission had become necessary as the population of STs had increased significantly in the new State of Telangana.
On the objections that if 12per cent reservations each were given to the Muslims and the Scheduled Tribes, the total quota will go up to 74 per cent in Telangana, sources pointed out that neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had higher quotas.
“It is 69 per cent in Tamil Nadu. In the same way our Government will also find way to fulfil its promise of improving the condition of Muslims and STs through increased quota of reservations,” a senior TRS leader said.