By Amjad Suri and Md Imteyaz Ahmed
Only 13 Village level clusters have been identified in the states of Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya, in Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) division of ministry of minority affairs. The figure emerged in a reply to right to information (RTI) application seeking answers on details of village clusters identification and reminders issued to the respective state’s government.
For the rest of the other states, no such data is available on village level cluster identification.
Plans and schemes under the MsDP seeks to improve the socio-economic conditions of minorities by providing improvising of facilities such as better infrastructure, sanitation, education, health-care and income generation schemes in districts where minorities constitute 25 per cent of the population or more. Thus far, previous governments at the Centre have identified blocks in 90 minority concentrated districts across the country.
Multi-sectoral development programme at a glance
- Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) is a centrally sponsored scheme(CSS) approved by the government of India in 2008-09 to follow up action on the Sachar committee recommendations.
- It was launched in 90 Minority Concentrations Districts (MCDs) to address the development deficits of minority concentration areas by creating favorable socio-economic infrastructure.
- The objective of the scheme would be to fill the gaps in the existing schemes of the Govt. of India by providing additional resources and to take up non-gap filling projects (innovative projects) for the welfare of the minorities.
Cluster of minority concentration villages falling outside the identified minority concentration blocks: Within the blocks of backward districts not selected as MCBs, cluster of contiguous minority concentration villages (having at least 50 percent minority population) would be identified. In case of hilly areas of North Eastern States, such villages having minority’s population of 25 percent may be identified. About 500 villages which are falling outside the minority concentration blocks would be covered through such clusters. Identification of the clusters fulfilling the above criteria would be done by the States/UTs[i].
For identification of Village level clusters of Minority Concentrated villages in backward districts the Ministry of Minority have send a letter to states and UTs to send the identified villages but, till date the they have not received the details from Backward districts[ii].
There is a complete discrepancy on the level of information sharing between the ministry of minority and the concerned states.
The circulars were issued to states/UTs for village level clusters across India in July-August, 2015 regarding identification of village level clusters is available on ministry of minority website.
Only 3 districts in UP, Shahjahanpur, Pilibhit and Allahabad have sent the identified backward villages with have more than 50 percent minority population and in Bihar, district administration is yet to identify the village level clusters in backward districts with more than 50 percent Muslim minority population[iii], said the central public grievance system for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in reply to the grievance filed. Assessment and monitoring authority in the ministry of minority is not reconstituted in the present Modi government[iv].
Therefore, the state government should be proactive in identifying the village level clusters for the development of minority concentrated villages in backward districts of India. The proactive Muslim minority activism is required to get the development projects of Muslim minorities like, MsDp, Minority Cybergram, Nai Roshni, and Minority Scholarship to reach the respective beneficiaries.
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(Amjad Suri is a financial consultant and MD Imteyaz Ahmed is a medical practitioner).
References:
[i] http://gokdom.kar.nic.in/English/Downloads/MSDPguideline.pdf
[ii] http://www.minorityaffairs.gov.in/sites/upload_files/moma/files/cluster-msdp.PDF
[iii] http://jansunwai.up.nic.in/Track.aspx
[iv] http://www.hidforum.org/uploads/default/files/event/pdf/1f69c880f4cfe0a8bb4d68dadf44a85e.pdf