Minorities in India

Recently, the Union government has informed the Supreme Court (SC) that state governments can now grant minority status to any religious or linguistic community, including Hindus. Who are minorities in India? Read below to know more about minorities in India.

Being the second-largest country in terms of population, India is a multitude of various religious communities. Hindus cover nearly 80% of India’s total population, with an estimated 172.2 million Muslims, 27.8 million Christians, 20.8 million Sikhs, 4.5 million Jains, etc.

The controversial term “minority” or “minorities” is used in the Constitution in some articles like Article 29, Article 30, Article 350(A), and 350(B) but a concrete definition is not given in the Constitution.

The Union government, under the National Commission on Minorities Act 1992 has recognized 6 minority communities that is Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, and Jains. ( Jains were added later in 2014). 

Currently, only those communities notified under section 2(c) of the NCM (National Commission for Minorities) Act, 1992, by the central government are regarded as minorities. 

Despite the Supreme Court’s 11-judge bench judgment in the T.M.A Pai case, which clearly determined that linguistic and religious minorities must be identified at the state level rather than at the national level,

Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Act 1992 gave the Centre “unbridled power” to inform minorities……

In 1992, with the enactment of the NCM Act, 1992, the MC became a statutory body and was renamed the NCM. In 1993, the first Statutory National Commission was set up and five religious communities viz.

The Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Zoroastrians (Parsis) were notified as minority communities. In 2014, Jains were also notified as a minority community.

Also read: Environmental Racism

Characteristics of Religious minorities in India

There are five major religious minorities in India. There are Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Parsi. The following is more information on religion-wise data of the Indian population as per the Census 2001 and 2011.

Communities	2001 Census Data in %	2011 Census Data in %
Hindu	80.5	79.8
Muslim	13.4	14.2
Christian	2.3	2.3
Sikh	1.9	1.7
Buddhist	0.8	0.7
Jain	0.4	0.4

• Sikh, Parsi, and Jains are well-off minority communities
• Muslims are the largest religious minority in India. They are in majority in Jammu and Kashmir and good size in Kerala, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Rajasthan
• Christians are the second-largest minority in India. They are in the majority in Nagaland( 88%), Mizoram ( 87%), and Meghalaya ( 74%). They are in sizable numbers in Goa( 25%) and Kerala( 18.4%).
• Sikhs are the third-largest minority in India and they are in Majority in Punjab( 58%).
• Buddhism communities in India have a sizable number in Sikkim ( 27%), Arunachal Pradesh ( 12%), and Maharashtra ( 6%).
• Jains minority are largely in Maharashtra( 1.3 %), Gujarat ( 1%), and Delhi ( 1%).

Also read: Diversity of India

The geographic spread of minorities in India

• Notified minorities constitute about 19% population of the country. 
• In rural India during 2009-10, 11 percent of households followed Islam with about 12 percent of the population.
• Christianity was followed by around 2 percent of the households constituting about 2 per cent of the population. 
• In urban areas, the percentages of households and population following Islam were about 13 and 16 and those following Christianity were about 3 and 3, respectively.
• The government of India has also forwarded a list of 121 minority concentration districts having at least 25% minority population, excluding those States / UTs where minorities are in majority (J & K, Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Lakshadweep).

Socio-economic status of minorities in India

The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) during the period July 2011 – June 2012 carried out an all-India household survey on the subject of employment and unemployment in India as a part of the 68th round of its survey program.

According to the 66th round of NSS,

Indicator	Rural / Urban	Religion
Sex-ratio	Both rural and urban areas	Muslim-decline
		Christians-Improved
Average household size	Both rural and urban areas	Muslims- higher
		Christians- lowest
Self-employment	Agriculture	Sikh – highest
	Rural labor	Muslims–  highest
	regular wage/salaried	Christians– highest
Average Monthly per Capita Expenditure (MPCE)	Both rural and urban areas	Sikh- highest  followed by Christians.
Literacy rate among persons aged 15+	For both the sexes in rural and urban areas.	Christian- highest  followed by Sikh
Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR)  And Work Participation Rate (WPR)	The male-female differential in WPR was the lowest among Christians.	LFPR was the lowest among Christians.  The male-female differential in rural male, rural female and urban female was the highest for Christians while that for urban male was the highest for Sikhs
Unemployment rate	Rural areas	Highest for Christians for both males (3 per cent) and females (6 per cent).
	urban areas	Highest for Sikhs for both males (6 per cent) and females (8 per cent).

Problems and concerns with minorities in India

Being one of the world’s largest democracies, India glorifies the principles of secularism and pluralism and the Indian constitution promotes the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth

but this type of cultural, religious, and social diversity leads to varying forms of intersectional discrimination for the minority communities, for example, Dalits, Muslims, and Christians, or religious minorities who are also linguistic minorities or belong to indigenous communities (Adivasis) and such challenges are intensified when it comes to women of the minority community.  

Recent political developments have put the issues of minority appeasement and minority harassment back into the forefront. The recent increase in hate crimes has also triggered debates about the need for separate legislation to protect minorities against lynching and hate crimes. 

Some of the main problems faced by minorities in India are as follows: 

1. The problem of identity- Because of the differences in socio-cultural practices, history, and backgrounds, minorities have to grapple with the issue of identity everywhere which gives rise to the problem of adjustment with the majority community.
2. The problem of Security: Different identity and their small number relative to the rest of society develops a feeling of insecurity about their life, assets, and well-being. This sense of insecurity may get accentuated at times when relations between the majority and the minority communities in society are strained or not very cordial.
3. The problem of equity:- The minority community in society may remain deprived of the benefit of opportunities for development as a result of discrimination. Because of the difference in identity, the minority community develops the perception of the sense of inequity. Religion is a complex phenomenon in India. Though India is declared a ‘secular’ state, the problem of secularism looms large here. Conversion to Islam and Christianity has been a controversial issue over the last couple of decades.
4. Varied reasons:—ranging from poverty to perceived discrimination resulted in the alienation of Muslims and Christians in India. The Government of India constituted a committee on 9th March 2005 under the chairmanship of Justice Rajendra Sachar to enquire and analyze the problems faced especially by Muslims in India.
5. Economic reasons Indian socio-economic fabric is very complex because it is much affected by caste, religion, and the more regional/linguistic differentials. At the same time, the Indian economic, social, and political institutions which are persisted for centuries have a historical basis also. These factors have given a unique character to Indian society. It has become a conglomeration of various layers and segments divided and sub-divided.
6. Backwardness:- Minority communities are unable to join the mainstream of society. Sachar Committee which was constituted in 2005 has placed Muslims below the scheduled castes, and scheduled tribes.
7. The problem of Representation:- In terms of religious composition, 90.4% of MPs in Loksabha are Hindus. 5.2% are Muslims and another religious community represents 4% MPS. Muslims contribute only 2.5% of the Indian bureaucracy.
8. Lack of Clear definition:- There was no clear definition for the minority which creates a huge flaw. Inclusion and exclusion error occurs in the implementation of Government schemes. Recently a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court regarding this matter.

All of the above problems generate a trust deficit between the Minorities, which is harmful to the Unity and integrity of the country

Also read: Welfare Schemes for Minorities in India

Constitutional Provisions for Minorities in India

The Constitution of India lists down a few important mandates with regard to Minorities in India. Discussed below are the same in brief:

Protection under Fundamental Rights:

• Article 15 (1) & (2) – Prohibition of discrimination against citizens on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth
• Article 16(1)&(2) – Citizens’ right to equality of opportunity in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the State
• Article 25(1) – People’s freedom of conscience and right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion – subject to public order, morality and other Fundamental Rights
• Article 28 – People’s freedom to attend religious instruction or religious worship in educational institutions is wholly maintained
• Article 30(1) – Right of all religious and linguistic minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice
• Article30(2) – Freedom of minority-managed educational institutions from discrimination in the matter of receiving aid from the State

Protection under Part XVII (Official language):

• Article 347- Provide special provisions relating to the language spoken by a section of the population.
• Article350A – Deals with the provision of facilities for instruction in the mother tongue
• Article 350B— Provision for a special officer for linguistic minorities and defines its duty.

Legislative protection:

• The National Commission of Minority Act 1992—this act led to the foundation of the National Commission on Minorities by the Union Government. It consists of a chairperson and 6 members, provided at least 5, including the chairperson, should belong to the minority community.
• Waqf Act—This act deals with donations in the Muslim community. The central waqf council, a statutory body, manages the administration of waqfs in India. Waqf is the permanent dedication of movable or immovable properties given by Muslim philanthropists for a religious, pious, or charitable purpose. The grant is known as Musrat-Ul-Khidmat and the person who makes such dedication is known as Waqif.
• Citizenship Amendment Act—This act gives citizenship to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan within 6 years in place of 12 years. Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis( all are minorities in India excluding Hindus) who migrated before 2014 are eligible.

Executive Privilege:

In addition to a legislative measure, the central government gives many special privileges to minorities through its ministries, departments, and commissions. , as listed below

• The ministry of minority affairs was formed in 2006 to ensure a focused approach to issues related to minorities
• The Ministry of External Affairs deals with matters relating to the Haj committee.
• The Ministry of Human Resource and Development deals with schemes for quality education in madrasahs, and with infrastructure development for minority institutions.

Other bodies:

1. National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions:- It is a statutory body to protect and safeguard educational institutions established by religious minorities in India. It does not cover linguistic minorities. it consists of a chairman ( Judge of the High Court) and two others nominated by the Central government, all must belong to a religious community.
2. National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation:- this body under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, aims to promote economic and developmental activities for minorities. It is a Public sector unit registered under the Companies Act as a non-profit company.
3. National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC)

International Norms:

The protection of the rights of minorities is provided under Article 27 of the International Convention on civil and Political Rights. Further “United Nations declaration on the Rights of persons belonging to National, Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities” is a document that sets essential standards and offers guidance to states in adopting appropriate legislative and other measures to secure the Rights of Minorities.

Government Schemes for the Minorities in India 

Some schemes related to minorities include the following.

Educational Empowerment:

• Scholarship Schemes– Pre-Matric Scholarship, Post-Matric Scholarship, and Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship. During the last 7 years, more than 4.52 crore beneficiaries have been provided different scholarships through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) out of which more than 53% of beneficiaries are female.
• Maulana Azad National Fellowship Scheme provides financial assistance to students from notified minority communities whose annual income is below Rs. 6.0 lakh per annum from all sources, to pursue higher education such as M.Phil and PhD.
• In addition, the Maulana Azad Education Foundation implements the scheme viz. Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship for meritorious girls belonging to notified minority communities studying in Classes IX to XII.
• Naya Savera – Free Coaching and Allied Scheme which aims to enhance the skills and knowledge of students and candidates from notified minority to get employment in Government Sector/ Public Sector Undertaking, jobs in the private sector, and admission in reputed institutions in technical and professional courses at under-graduate and post-graduate levels. During the last seven years, about 69,500 candidates have benefitted from the coaching scheme of this Ministry.
• Nai Udaan – Support for notified students of the minority community in India, on clearing Prelims conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), State Public Service Commission (PSC) Staff Selection Commission (SSC), etc.

  Economic Empowerment:

• Seekho Aur Kamao (Learn & Earn): It is a skill development initiative for minorities and aims to upgrade the skills of minority youth in various modern/traditional skills depending upon their qualification, present economic trends, and market potential, which can earn them employment or make them suitably skilled to go for self-employment. Since 2014-15 approx. 3.92 lakh persons have benefitted from this employment-oriented program.
• A mission has been launched by the Ministry of Minority Affairs under the “Upgrading the Skill and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development (USTTAD)” scheme to give an effective platform to minority artisans and culinary experts from across the country to showcase and market their finest handicraft and exquisitely crafted products through “Hunar Haats” organized by the Ministry.
• Ministry has engaged institutions of national repute namely, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), National Institute of Design (NID), and Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) to work in various craft clusters for design intervention, product range development, packaging, exhibitions and brand building, etc. So far, the Ministry has organized 28 “Hunar Haats” in which more than 5.5 lakh artisans and people associated with them have been provided employment and employment opportunities, out of which more than 50% beneficiaries are women.
• Nai Manzil – A scheme to provide education and skill training to the youth from minority communities.
• Gharib Nawaz Employment Training Programme provides short-term job-oriented skill development courses to youths belonging to minority communities.
• National Minorities Development Finance Corporation (NMDFC) Loan Schemes provide concessional loans for self-employment and income-generating activities for the socio-economic development of the ‘backward sections’ amongst the notified minorities.

  Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK):

• In addition, another scheme namely Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) is implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, which aims to improve the socio-economic conditions and basic amenities in the identified Minority Concentration Areas.
• The major projects approved under PMJVK are in sectors of education, health, and skill, and include Residential Schools, School buildings, Hostels, Degree Colleges, ITIs, Polytechnics, Smart Class Rooms, Sadbhav Mandaps, Health Centres, Skill Centres, Sports facilities, Drinking Water facilities, sanitation facilities, etc.
• In the last 7 years, under the “Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram” (PMJVK) more than 43 thousand basic infrastructure projects have been created such as residential schools, new schools, colleges, hostels, community centers, common service centers, ITIs, Polytechnics, Girls Hostels, Sadbhava Mandaps, Hunar Hubs, Smart Class Rooms, etc in identified Minority concentrated areas across the country.

  Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme:

• Further, under the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the welfare of minorities, the Government ensures that the benefits of various government schemes for the underprivileged reach the disadvantaged and vulnerable sections of the minority communities also.
• Under the program, it is provisioned that, wherever possible, 15% of targets and outlays under various schemes should be earmarked for minorities.

Scheme	Description
USTAAD	To upgrade skills and training for the preservation of traditional ancestral arts or crafts of minorities.
HamariDharohar	To preserve the rich heritage of minority communities in the context of Indian culture
Naimanjil	A bridge course to fill the academics and skill development gaps between madrassa student and their mainstream counterpart
SeekhoaurKamao	Central sector scheme for skill development of minorities aims to bring down the unemployment rate among minorities.
Nairoshani	Leadership development of minority women with the help of NGOs

Other schemes are JiyoParsi, Padho Pradesh, Nalanda scheme, Minority cyber gram, MaulanaAjadSehat scheme, and PM 15 point program.

Way forward:

In order to protect our constitutional values of individual dignity, Equality, and liberty we must strive to discourage and remove hate-filled messages from our society.

• Political leaders must take a leadership role in disowning hateful elements within their party and uphold their commitment to our constitution. 
• Comprehensive anti-hate legislation and policy must be brought to act as a deterrent against hate crimes. 
• Recent positive developments like the decriminalisation of homosexuality have shown that our society is empathetic towards minorities. A few anti-social elements must not be allowed to jeopardise gains made in this regard.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs):

1. In India, if a religious sect/community is given the status of a national minority, what special advantages it is entitled to? (2011)
2. It can establish and administer exclusive educational institutions.
3. The President of India automatically nominates a representative of the community to Lok Sabha.
4. It can derive benefits from the Prime Minister’s 15-Point Programme.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only 

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

• At present Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians, and Parsis (Zoroastrians) are notified as minority religious communities by GoI. There are certain special advantages that these communities are entitled to by the Constitution of India as well as various other legislative and administrative measures.
• Article 30 of the Indian Constitution upholds the right of religious and linguistic minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. Hence, statement 1 is correct. There is no provision for the President of India to automatically nominate a member of a minority religious community to the Lok Sabha. This provision was earlier available for members of the Anglo-Indian community under Article 331 of the Constitution. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• Religious minorities can derive benefits from the Prime Minister’s 15-Point Programme. The programme was launched in 2005 to ensure the welfare of minorities in the fields of education, skill development, employment and prevention of communal conflicts. Hence, statement 3 is correct. Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Read: Minority institution status: Aligarh Muslim University minority claim explained

Article written by Aseem Muhammed