Union Minister for Minority Affairs has included J&K among the States that have not so far constituted State Committee for Minorities. He is disappointed that the Prime Minister’s 15-point programme for minorities and another scheme of minority concentration districts are not being monitored properly with the result that the ground situation does not corroborate with what is recorded on papers. We don’t have any idea which district(s) in J&K has been declared a minority concentration district. But the State Constitution does not recognize any group in the State as a minority group. Nevertheless in practical terms, the rights of majority group on local level and as minority on national level stand duly recognized. Obviously the purpose of PM’s 15-point programme is to cater to economic uplift of bad pockets of minority groups and that is a laudable step.
It has to be remembered that the Constitution of India recognizes four groups among the national minorities. But these are on religious basis and not on linguistic, economic, cultural or any other basis. At the same time the members of these four groups are scattered all over the country. Some of them do have concentration in some districts, while others have not. It is noteworthy that J&K is governed by Article 370 of the Indian Constitution by virtue of which it becomes obvious for the State Government to define its position vis-à-vis the religious minorities in the State and the districts/tehsils of their concentration so that the benefits accruing from the 15-point programme of the Prime Minister accrues to them also. It means that the State Government shall have to define its position in regard to the status of the minorities in the State and identify the district(s)/tehsils of their concentration if any. The question of defining religious minorities of a country in terms of their national-regional concentration that includes the demographic size and other factors has been dealt with by the UN Human Rights Council. The term “reverse minority” was thus coined by the Working Group on Minorities at the United Nations Human Rights Council. Will this form the guideline for the State Government to define its position vis-à-vis religious minorities in the state on regional and sub-regional levels is a question that deserves to be provided with an answer. The fact is that the Union Minorities Commission did broach the issue with the Government of J&K on highest level at least twice in the past but without any decisive result. The Union Minister for Minority Affairs should make some input in advising the State Government officially what would be the best course for it to tackle the issue.
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