LEFT FRONT RALLY AT BASHIRHAT, NORTH 24 PARGANAS ON 27TH NOVEMBER, 2010

Financial Crunch of West Bengal-An Analysis

It is already declared in the West Bengal state financial budget 2010-11, that the state economy is bearing a burden of debt of Rs. 1.69 lakhs Crores. But this can never be a rationale economic parameter to identify the state as a ‘bankrupt’. If so, then the central government had to declare more than a dozen of states as bankrupt far ago. At the end of the last financial year, the amount of entire debt formulated in stae economy was 1.69lakh crores. And the amount started to consolidate since 1950’s. it is also very important to state in this juncture that, when our state economy is bearing a burden of debt of Rs. 1.69lakh crores, at the same time Indian economy is bearing a burden of debt of Rs. 35lakhs crores too (Source : Central Financial Survey, 2009-10).

According to the available data of RBI (Feb 2010) West Bengal is holding the third place in the context of debt burden out of all the states in our country. Uttarpradesh is holding the first place with Rs. 2.21lakhs crores and Maharastra is following UP by 2.08 lakhs crores. Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are existing in the consecutive positions. But it is also pertinent to say, that as the amount of debt burden is varying among the states, the variations in income are also present within it. So the comparative study is done by debt-income ratio (GSDP). The RBI data reveals that , though West Bengal is holding the third place in the context of debt formation, but the state holds the 11^th place in the country as well as 4^th out of the large states in the country in terms of GSDP ratio.

Five years back, the GSDP ratio was 48% in the state, and, presently it decreased to 41%. But the data of GSDP ratio of Indian economy is fairly greater (56%) than our state economy in the same time frame.

It is very important to analyze the economic situation of our state economy now. The important feature of the debt formation in our state reveals that the major portion of it is generated from the micro savings schemes. Actually, the difference between the amount saved by the people of any state in post-office schemes in a specific financial year and the entire withdrawal out of it produces the debt of micro savings sector. For example, if in a a specific financial year if people save Rs 6,000 crores under micro savings scheme, and withdraw Rs.1,000 crores, then (6000crores-1000crores)= Rs. 5000crores is the net amount of debt generation under micro savings schemes. As bond papers of the micro savings schemes are provided by the central government, so essentially the burden goes to it. But according to the financial policy of our central government, the above said generation of debt is actually imposed on the corresponding state governments by the Central government. More than that, the state governments have to pay the rate of interest on this debt, which is 2% higher than that of the public rate of interest. To save the people of West Bengal from the traps of the Cheat Funds, the Left Front government started to emphasize on the micro savings schemes, and this is still going on by the declared principle of LF government in our state. Now West Bengal stands first in the country in the context of micro savings. This form of savings becomes boomerang in the form of debt to the states with more rate of interest. As the state governments do not limit on the amount of the small savings, so the amount of the debt is not also fixed by the concerned state governments. It is also seen that as Maharastra and UP is holding two highest position in the debt formation within the country, the advancement in micro savings schemes is much better in both those states.apart from micro savings the debt formation in the states depend on two more aspects- i) the state government bonds , ii) the deposits in the local funds.the states government bonds are usually purchased by the Public Sector Banks or by the Insurance companies. And the deposits in the local funds does not produce debt at all. The remitted or better to say the unspent amount of the Panchayats etc. are trated as the the debt of states by the mechanical procedure of of the central governments and the CAG. After repeated protests aginst this financial policy, the 13th Finance Commission started to impose a little lower rate of interest under micro saving schemes of the states than before.

The amount of debt of all states are fixed in the Planning Commission meeting by a uniform policy. The yardstick of measuring debt is, 3.5% of the gross revenue of corresponding state will be the amount of its debt. In this process the target is fixed 21,900 crores in this financial year. Out of which 15,500 crores can be earned by selling the bonds to the banks or insurance companies. But, West Bengal government has decided only to take Rs. 7,500crores out of the entire amount formed by selling the bonds. So at the end of this financial year, consolidation of debt may reach 10.92lakhs crores in our state. The borrowings will also decrease from this financial year too. One surprising statistics is pertinent in this context that, when GSDP ratio of our country is 56% now, the GSDP ratio is 80% for most of the advanced economies for several years.

If one feature of debt formation is due to the micro savings schemes, the important feature of state expenditure is to take the responsibility of paying salry and retirement benefit to all levels of teachers as well as the employee of the Panchayat and Municipalities. This expenditure is the part of beyond planned expenditure. Comparatively the other states do not take this responsibilities as well, even they have taken, it is purely partial.

In the current financial year the entire budgetary amount is Rs. 75,803 crores . Out of it the planned expenditure is 19,069crores. Rs. 56,744crores is the amount of beyond plan expenditure. If the expenditure in developmental activities (the total expenditure in social sector) are considered then the amount reached 42,000crores. Planned expenditure is a part of Developmental expenditure. Sometimes, the low allotment of planned expenditure of West Bengal comes into the unjustified debate of the oppositions. A comparative analysis is required to discuss upon this matter. In 1976-77 the planned expenditure of West Bengal was Rs.200crores under the Congress ruled government. In the periods of Left front Government the allotment increased in a continuous manner, in 2003-04 it reached 4,397crores, and in 2007-08 it reached up to 12,469crores, and in 2010-11 it is 19,069crores that implies , in the last 3 to 4 years it is enhanced by several times.

Most of the beyond plan expenditure is used to meet the salaries and the retirement benefits. In the time of 2^nd Left Front Government it was decided that the state will take the responsibility to pay the salaries and retirement benefits to the State Government Employees, and the teachers from primary to university level, which is not at all practiced by most of the states. The salaries and other perquisites of the teachers are far increased than earlier days. Left Front Government has also taken the responsibility of paying salary and retirement benefits to the municipal as well as the Panchayat employees too. Presently total number of state government employees and teachers in our state is 4lakhs consecutively. Except it, there exists huge number of municipal and Panchayat employees. In each 7 to 8 years interval Central government restructures the pay scale. Taking all these factors the state government is now under a situation to take more financial responsibility than before.

The revenue side of the state government is also to be discussed with immense importance. It is expected in the state budget that VAT collection will be increased by18% and other taxes like stamp duty registration fee, excise fee will also icrease 15%. But in reality the VAT revenue increased 33% and stamp duty registration fees and excise duty increased by 40% and 21% respectively. So revenue earned more than that of the anticipative earnings. Computerization of tax collection resulted in a good note. West Bengal usually earns least from the wine industry in comparison to the relevant states in this particular sector. The excise duty earned by West Bengal is only 1,800crores. By selling only foreign liquor Andhra Pradesh is earning12,000crores. The government critically wants to deal the matter of reopening the wine shops in some publicly granted areas for further excise duty earnings considering the social issues relating with it. In this particular matter all party consensus is mostly needed. Introduction of VAT reduces the impact of tax evasion in the industries closely related with employment. Though Service sector is developing in West Bengal day by day, but still it is impossible to earn tax revenue from it. On the other hand, all the agro-products are out of the VAT and Sales Tax regime by the directives of the government. The rate of VAT on essential agricultural and industrial products is just 4%. When GST will be implied, state will definitely more than now.

All the problems are created due to the policy of the central government, which is full of disparities. According to the constitution of India, article 49&50 of State list depicts that state will have the right to collect the cess and will earn the royalty on coal sector. Since 1987 the rate of royalty increased five times but state did not receive the increased royalty ever. In this context, the amount of dues regarding royalty is generated by 4,800crores excluding the interest , which is still unpaid to the state by the central government. It is also important to note that, by the directives of 13^th FC when the rate of interest on micro savings decreased by 2%, so by this way of evasion Rs. 700crores is still unpaid to the state by the central government. Regarding the imposition of GST, when it was decided that the inter state sales tax will be reduced by steps, then states will be given to power to impose some new taxes and an amout of subsidy will be given-on this very basis West Bengal is yet to receive Rs. 900crores from the central government. In the purpose of reconstruction regarding Ayla disaster Finance Commission allotted a scheme of Rs. 5,032crores, out of which Rs. 672State is still unpaid to the government for this financial year. Apart feom it central government did not disburse Rs. 776crores for drought recovery which was proposed by the National Disaster Management Commission under the recommendation of 13^th Finance Commission. Summing up all these unpaid dues, West Bengal Government is yet to receive Rs. 7000crores from the Central government.

So to carry on the post drought financial processes and all the developmental activities in condition of huge dues , a financial problem is created in our state. In this perspective government of West Bengal has decided to reduce unnecessary unplanned expenditure by 10 % and to impose a 1% increase in VAT on the luxury goods excluding agro-products and raw materials used in agriculture and industry. It is expected that reduction in expenditure will definitely produce extra 1,000crores savings and the VAT increase will produce extra 200crores revenue earnings. It is an utopia that, State government will wipe out the all problems by receiving 7,000crores from the Central Government, but it will definitely help the state government easier to tackle this financial crunch. On the issue of overdraft, one thing has to be clear that, budgetary allocation is made for the one financial year. But in practice, the accounts of revenue earnings and expenditure is accounted in daily basis. The days, when revenue is greater than that of the expenditure, the extra amount is held by the state government in the form of treasury bills by the directives of RBI. The days, when expenditure becomes greater than than the revenue earnings within a limit, government has to take overdraft from RBI. In this year the number of days, where surplus generated is nearly 5 times greater than that of the days of the deficit.

It is also pertinent to note that in the year 2008-09 the deficit came to 3.8% in respect of income, but it raise up to 4.7% after restructuring of the pay scales. In the next year it will again fall up to 3.5%. Consisting the target of 8lakhs employment per year and maintaining all the production sectors unabated, government is highly optimistic to sail the economy smoothly, which in turn will reduce GSDP ratio. On the other hand it will increase VAT earnings. Implementation of GST will further benefit the state.

http://www.cpimwb.org.in/cpim/?q=node/174

ASIM DASGUPTA TOLD 'THE TELEGRAPH' ABOUT DEBT BURDEN

Bengal’s hopes ride on a pie in the sky

DEVADEEP PUROHIT THE TELEGRAPH, Issue Date: Monday , November 15 , 2010

Calcutta, Nov. 14: Bengal finance minister Asim Dasgupta today dismissed Opposition allegations that the state was heading towards bankruptcy and claimed that a few favourable developments could “significantly” reduce the debt burden of the state, estimated at Rs 1.69 lakh crore at the end of the last fiscal year. With the ratio of debt and gross state domestic product (GSDP) — value of goods and services produced in the state in a year — at 42.9 per cent (as of March 31, 2010), the debt burden of the state is the third highest in the country after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. “One cannot forget that the debt has been accumulating since the 1950s,” Dasgupta told The Telegraph this afternoon while pointing out that the same ratio for the Centre stood at 56 per cent. “Net small savings collected in Bengal is the biggest part of the debt burden…. Our government had championed the cause of small savings to save people from chit funds,” added Dasgupta, sitting in his office in the Writers’ Buildings this afternoon and criticising the Centre’s policy of treating it as part of the state’s total debt. The Trinamul Congress, the state’s main Opposition party, is crying itself hoarse over the rising debt burden of the state and has sought the governor’s intervention in Bengal’s money matters. Of its total budget of over Rs 75,000 crore, the state spends around Rs 30,000 crore — part of a bigger non-plan expenditure bill — in paying salaries and pensions. (See chart) Many believe that the high volume of salaries and wages — for over 4 lakh government employees and an equal number of teachers, from primary schools to universities — is one of the major reasons behind the fiscal mess. “The Left government has its arguments for pursuing such a policy and there can be debates on the subject, but no other Indian state takes so much liability on paying salaries and wages of teachers,” said Ratan Khasnabis, professor of economics in Calcutta University’s business management department. Amid the concerns over the sustainability of the debt burden, Dasgupta stressed that he was confident of bringing down the debt-to-GSDP ratio to around 30 per cent and ending the fiscal with lower borrowing than predicted in the budget. He did not set any timetable for reaching the target but rolled out a set of likely favourable developments that would “significantly” bring down the debt burden. Even as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-educated finance minister contested the use of the debt-to-GSDP ratio as a measure of the state’s indebtedness — the debt figure is cumulative while the GSDP measures a year’s performance — he was hopeful of a “few percentage points’ reduction” in the ratio. “We will have a comfortable position as the debt component will continue coming down while the GSDP will keep growing at around 9 per cent,” said Dasgupta while explaining the central and state factors that would play a role in debt reduction. The finance minister’s comfort depends largely on another Bengali at the helm of affairs in Delhi, Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, who, unlike Trinamul leader Mamata Banerjee, has maintained silence on Bengal’s fiscal position. According to Dasgupta, a staggered repayment of the Rs 7,000-crore due from the Centre, regular interest relief due on account of the state’s adherence to fiscal discipline, a rise in the state’s earnings on excise and value added tax, and reduction in wasteful expenditure will result in improvement in the ratio. (See chart) These estimates — against the backdrop of over 33 per cent growth in VAT collections, 40 per cent growth in stamp duty mop-up and 21 per cent growth in excise earnings — will give his cabinet colleagues a chance to present a better fiscal future for the state. Economists aware of Bengal’s finances, however, want to see the improvement first. Many of them also stress that the debt-to-GSDP ratio is a standard measure of indebtedness, that cumulative debt is a problem not unique to Bengal and that the rule of including small savings as part of debt affects all the states. “One of the major components of the dues from the Centre is coal cess to the tune of Rs 4,883 crore, but the Centre has to agree to settle this claim. No other Indian state has any dispute over coal cess,” said M. Govinda Rao, director, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. Insiders in the state government were also not hopeful of any central largesse on account of coal cess even as Dasgupta stressed that the Supreme Court had upheld the “constitutional validity of levy and collection of cess on coal-bearing land by the state government”. The finance minister’s estimates of higher collection —through excise and VAT — and significant reduction in wasteful expenditure are “unreal”, said a government official. “The target of saving Rs 1,200 crore by keeping a tab on expenses is unreal as we are less than five months from the end of this financial year. Additional earning of Rs 200 crore by increasing VAT by 1 per cent on non-essential and luxury items is not feasible as the festive season of buying is already over,” said the official. Dasgupta’s other bet —higher excise collection from the existing level of Rs 1,505.64 crore — can turn into a political hot potato in an election year as it is linked to higher sale of alcoholic beverages. The finance minister is hoping for an all-party consensus on allowing opening up of liquor shops to shore up revenues — Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have excise revenues in excess of Rs 9,000 crore — but that seems to be a distant dream. “This government pursued stringent policies on opening of liquor shops for over 25 years. Now it is very difficult to suddenly increase the number of liquor shops across the state,” said a senior official.

Importance of Left Front Government is immense: Chief Minister

June 21, 2010. The Left Front Government in West Bengal turned 34. On the occasion, state Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, in an interview, answered several questions on varied topics pertaining to the state’s development as well as the Left Front Government’s contributions to it. The text of the Chief Minister’s interview follows.

Q: The Left Front Government steps on to its 34th year. The seventh Left Front Government has completed its 4th year. Could you focus on the main features of the socio-economic change that has been brought about in the life of people in the state by the Left Front Government in 33 years?

Ans: The Left Front Government has been able to make a qualitative change in the life of people in this state in 33 years. The main socio-economic features of this change may be summed up in the following manner.

In rural areas, the standard in the life of the poor farmers has changed radically because of the land reforms and the panchayat system as a whole. The most important factor is that their purchasing power has increased.

The demand for industrial commodities equivalent to nearly 27,000 crore has been generated. Market for consumer goods has expanded in rural as well as urban areas alike. Sale of items, ranging from garments, shoes, umbrellas, medicines, foodstuff to television, telephone, mobile phones and computers have phenomenally multiplied both in Kolkata and in the rest of the state.

Literacy has gained wide ground. The scope of education has expanded from the primary level to the university level. This is a significant aspect of human resources development. Health is another important factor. The state has crested to peak of success in the country in so far as its position in the determination of life and death ratio, increase in average life span, and reduction in the rate of infant mortality is concerned.

A widespread change is perceptible in the spate of urbanization also. This process of urbanisation has been carried forward by Siliguri-Jalpaiguri, Durgapur-Asansol, Bolpur-Santiniketan, Haldia, Digha, Midnapore Development Authorities. The Rajarhat Township is coming up following Bidhannagar. There are 127 municipal bodies in the state. The state is among the leaders in building up the urban infrastructure.

Q: How do you perceive the four years of the seventh Left Front government? This government was formed with a massive mandate in its favour by projecting the slogan, 'Agriculture is our base and industry our prospect'. How much success have you achieved to put it into action?

Ans: 'Agriculture is our base and industry our prospect' is not a mere slogan. It is a well-contemplated holistic approach. It will never be possible to bring about further economic development in the state in future if we fail to stride forward on the vehicle of industrial growth by consolidating our agricultural achievement. Everyone realises the potential urgency in this fact. This is the only alternative before our educated young generation. We could only initiate the process braving many obstacles. It is an inevitable pre-condition of the state's passage onto the next economic stage. In that sense, we could only initiate.

Q: It was mentioned in the Left Front election manifesto during the last polls that the achievements of land reforms would be consolidated and the unfinished programmes in regard to land reforms would be delivered with finishing touches within the framework of the system. How much, do you think, has the seventh Left Front government been able to follow up? What are the future plans of the state government?

Ans: It is very urgent to consolidate the success of the land reforms. A total of 11.277 lakh acres of land have been allotted to poor and marginal farmers. A total of 15.33 lakh bargadars have been registered. It is important to keep these lands under the possession of poor farmers as these land yield bumper crops, and if production increases gradually, the income of the farmers gets enhanced. Our unfinished job is to distribute litigation-free plots of land among the landless farmers. We are at it. Our future plan is to offer homestead land measuring up to 5 cottah to the homeless by augmenting the provisions of the laws of 1975 to 2009. We have started doing it. About 2 lakh families will be benefited. We have one more programme to cover. We shall obtain lands from willing sellers, buy those plots with a premium of 25 per cent over the market rate and distribute the same among the landless poor. We would like to carry forward the land reform programme along this line of action.

Q: How much, do you think, West Bengal could fare in agricultural aspect?

Ans: The picture of success in agricultural development is clear. We are the leaders in production of rice (148 lakh MT), jute (7872.6 ton), vegetables (119 lakh MT) in the country. Our achievements are no less remarkable in production of fruits and flowers. We have been trying to extend the area under irrigation especially in the arid western region of the state. We have attached importance to the factors like procuring advanced quality seeds, bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides etc so that production can be made more bountiful and intensive. We have some problem areas too regarding the productions of pulses, oil seeds and wheat. These fall short of the demand. We have to strike at it urgently.

Q: It is a fact that investments up to 7060 crore and 40 lakh have been made in 2009 in the large and medium scale industries in West Bengal despite economic recession. How do you account for this success despite many obstacles?

Ans: This figure of investment, i.e.,7060 crore and 40 lakh is very rejuvenating in recent times. We are recovering from the ill effects of recession of 2008 in tandem with the rest of the country. This also proves that the events that occurred in Singur and Nandigram are stray exceptions. The process of industrialisation will continue. No one can stop it.

Q: What is our state's performance in agro-based industries? What are the future plans?

Ans: A larger portion of the investments that have been made in recent times has gone to the food-processing sector. Most of the industrial units, which grew up at various places-pineapple processing at Siliguri, mango at Malda, potato at Howrah-Hooghly-are either small or medium in size. There are wider prospects for more such industries if we can improve our infrastructure and ensure a steady supply of raw materials.

Q: What are the plans of the Left Front government for the future development of industries concertedly with the achievements of agriculture?

Ans: The first task for the growth of industries in the state is to sort out all the land-related problems. It is not our intent to acquire fertile agricultural land. We have worked out a land-use map in the state. We have particularised and specified matters related to compensation for land and rehabilitation packages, by dint of which more than 6000 acres of land have been acquired in recent times for industrial use. We have bettered the incentive schemes of the state government. We have been striving to fulfill the demands for roads, communication, power, water supply etc as infrastructural amenities in this regard. Proposals for setting up industries including those of steel, fertilizers, petrochemicals etc are rushing in. Information technology also enjoys similar investment-friendliness. A plan has been taken up to form nearly 38 clusters of medium and small industries. We have to move forward to this direction.

Q: It was stated in 2006 that steps would be taken to increase the number of Self-Help Groups to 10 lakh during the next five years. The number has now exceeded the stipulation and it now stands at 10 lakh 46 thousand. Your observation please.

Ans: The self-help groups may be termed as micro enterprises.SHGs are a boon to those who have reached a stage of positional marginality, especially women, owing mainly to the romping market economy. To keep those groups lively and more developed, we are maintaining a key watch on three matters: (1) training for male and female beneficiaries, (2) ensuring bank loans for them and (3) opening up opportunities for marketing their produce. We have been giving thought to the idea of extending the activities of SHGs to newer horizon, i.e., procuring paddy grains and making rice out of it, dealing in vegetables, eggs, fish or meat as these have a secure market. These SHGs will rise to the occasion and contribute significantly to the State economy in the days to come.

Q: What are the steps that the government proposes to adopt in order to improve power generation?

Ans: In order to improve the power situation, maintenance of stations in more sophisticated method has been prioritised so that the plant load factor can be improved gradually. The major problem we face is that many of the power-generating stations, like Santaldihi, Bandel etc, have been outdated. It is now urgent to set up new power-generating stations without delay. The Bakreswar as well as the Sagardihi Thermal Power Stations are in the process of construction. We have recently decided that there would be a mega project at Katwa in collaboration with BHEL. Another joint venture power project with NTPC is on the cards at the present site of Santaldihi. Our aim is to ensure steady supply of power with its total demand statewide in perfect conjugality.

Q: What are the obstacles for rural electrification? Why is it so sluggish even after repeated instructions from your side? Are you satisfied with the role played by the central power transmission agencies?

Ans: The job of rural electrification is on progress. Our endeavour is also on to accelerate the process. A few developments have taken place recently. The work of central power transmission agencies is more satisfactory than before. We do hope that we shall be able to reach our goal within a year.

Q: A propaganda is in the air that West Bengal has lagged behind in education during the Left Front rule. Your opinion please.

Ans: The state's advancement in education is obvious. Some of its remarkable features are: the rate of school-going children at the primary level is 99.25 per cent; the number of Madhyamik (secondary) schools is more than 10 thousand (including junior high schools and MSKs); the number of Madrasah is 581; the number of degree colleges is 429; there are 18 Universities; the number of students appearing for Madhyamik and Higher Secondary examinations has increased manifold; West Bengal enjoys a frontranking position in the competitive examinations for recruitment of teachers at the national level.

Q: What are your plans for further advancement in education? What is the state's progress report in vocational/technical, technological and research-oriented higher education?

Ans: Our forthcoming objective is to attain universal literacy and emphasise more on vocational as well as technical education.At present our state has 89 ITIs, 57 polytechnic centres and about 4000 vocational training centres to its credit. Our target is to increase the number of these centres. 50 more ITIs and about 29 polytechnics are coming up. Our aim is to bring all children onto the threshold of education, expand the scope for technical education and set up centres of excellence to encourage researches in the field of higher education.

Q: What is your vision about the health services in the state for the days to come? Are you satisfied with the mode of treatment, services and sensible work culture in government hospitals? What is the future plans?

Ans: We aim at preserving our achievements in the field of health services, especially in matters related to life and death ratio, child mortality, average life span etc. We emphasise on implementing preventive health programmes such as nutrition, sanitation, drinking water,extensive inoculation programmes and to implement family planning programmes. We cater to the medical needs of 72 per cent of our population through the existing government hospitals. The doctors, nurses and health workers carry out their assignments under immense pressure at sub-division, district hospitals as well as in medical colleges. But yes, there is room to make the health services more responsive. Our future plan for government hospital services is to extend its areas of application, encourage private hospitals and to translate the PPP model into reality.

Q: What are the priorities of your government at this moment?

Ans: The priority list may be mentioned in the manner as follows: a) to carry forward the achievements of agriculture on the basis of land reforms. b) to accelerate the pace of industrialisation. c) to elevate our success in the fields of education, health etc for human development in general. d) to attach an all-out importance to matters related to socio-economic development of people belonging to scheduled castes, adivasis and minorities.

Q: The question of backwardness in Jangalmahal areas has been raised from various corners. What is your opinion? What does the government plan to combat ultra-leftist terrorism?

Ans: The question of underdevelopment is being alluded to as the only reason behind the Maoist problems. This is not true. Maoists have chosen this region because it has an inaccessible topographical feature somewhat like the infested parts of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa or Jharkhand because the place is fit for the politics of violence pursued by the Maoists. But this is also true that Jangalmahal is backward to a degree in comparison to other areas of the state. We had implemented the land reforms programme much before the Maoist disturbance broke out in the region. Poor farmers were offered with plots of land, there have been Barga registrations. Programmes for creating employment opportunities are still being pursued. The LAMPS organisations consisting of tribal people have been working in order to consolidate the forest resources such as Kendu leaves, Sal leaves, Babui grass etc. We are paying close attention to supply of water for irrigation, drinking water, education, health and public distribution system. Instead of considering it only as a law and order issue, we are careful about the socio-economic development, we are attaching importance to political campaign alongside police action in the area.

Q: Achievements of the Left Front government in regard to minority development, their security and their rights is worthy of a mention. However, some misunderstanding still persists. What steps would you like to take to resolve this issue?

Ans: On the minority issue, the leftists waged relentless struggle for a long time on the question of their security and rights. The land reforms programme in the state benefited a large portion of minority population in rural areas. But confusion was created after the publication of the Sachar Committee report. The main question revolves around nominal participation of minorities in government services. Historically, they are backward. The policy of the Left Front government is not to deprive the minorities. The government is implementing a number of projects on education and training to minimise the existing gap so that the young generation of the minorities gets equal opportunities and can progress.

Q: How important is the reservation for minority Muslims?

Ans: Reservation was necessary for the Minorities. The Constitution guarantees reservation for the SC, ST and OBCs. But the economically backward Minorities do not enjoy the same provisions. We paid much thoughts and deliberations to this issue to no avail. We could only initiate bravely after the Ranganath Mishra Committee findings were published. It is not on the basis of religion; they are being brought under the cover of reservation in view of their socio-economic conditions as such. It was long overdue.

Q: The negative effects of the neo-liberal economic policy pursued by the union government are hanging on common people. But how this policy is affecting the pro-people programmes of the Left Front government in West Bengal?

Ans: The state is surely affected by the negative economic policy of the union government. The whole country, particularly the downtrodden people, is reeling under its pressure. We cannot be immune from problems like downsizing of staff strength, inflation, price-rise etc pursued by the union government. These are the main obstacles in the way of implementing our own policies.

Q: Can the Left Front government demonstrate an alternative path to safeguard the people of the state in this situation?

Ans: It is difficult for a state government to be free from these constraints. Still we are advancing in search of an alternative. We are trying to open up areas pertaining to land reforms, employment opportunities, infrastructure building, imparting emphasis on small and medium size industries, SHGs and service sectors.

Q: An environment of unanimity in developmental programme is eluding the state despite best efforts of the state government because of the cold shoulder attitude of the main Opposition party. What in these circumstances is the option open to you to get along the path of development?

Ans: We are trying repeatedly to build consensus on development programmes. But one Opposition party is not cooperating. We shall continue our efforts. We expect that the Opposition will play a responsible role.

Q: How the state government is trying to bring back a democratic ambience in Darjeeling? How much hopeful are you about that? How would you see the role of the state government in the development of the standard of living of the people and economic boost of the people in the hills after the formation of the Hill Council?

Ans: The situation at Darjeeling is very difficult and complicated. It is a very tough job to establish democracy there and to maintain law and order in the midst of intense violent political situation. But we have been trying. People of the hill areas are also realizing the fact that rights of the Opposition parties, citizens’ rights and rights of all institutions have to be protected. The state government has always extended the hand of cooperation on the questions of development of quality of life and economic development in the hills. But a possible development could not have been materialized because of lack of consistency and administrative failure on the part of the Hill Council authorities.

Q: How much important is the Left Front government in protecting the hard-earned democratic rights of the common people, especially the working people, middle-class service-holders and the teaching community as well as students, youths and women at large?

Ans: The country was at a crossroad at the time of formation of the Left Front government in West Bengal in 1977. The whole country had just got rid of the oppression of the Emergency; the black days were removed in this state also. The first Left Front pronounced release of all political prisoners. The provision of detention without trial was repealed and the state machinery got refrained from interference in democratic rights. Trade unionism, individual rights, freedom of press and above all human rights have been upheld in the state for three decades at a stretch. Considering all, none can deny this contribution of the Left Front government. In this matter, the importance of the Left Front Government, even now, is immense.

'WEST BENGAL' JULY 2010

(Reproduced from a state government publication)

STATUS REPORT ON DIFFERENT PROJECTS TAKEN UP BY MINORITY AFFAIRS AND MADRASAH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

The Minority Affairs & Madrasah Education Department being the nodal Department is responsible for development and welfare of Minorities in the State. The State Government is giving a major thrust to the development and welfare of the Minorities since past few years. The Jains are also included as Minority Community in the State in addition to the Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Parsees. A comprehensive and holistic plan for development and welfare of the Minorities has been drawn up by the Department. Details in the following link:

http://www.banglarmukh.com/portal/banglarmukh/Documents/NewsReport/NewsReportPortletWindow?in.gov.wb.portal.MENU_ID_PARAMETER=148&action=e&mode=view&windowstate=normal&WHEREFROM=ShowAll

MINORITY DEVELOPMENT, RESERVATIONS AND BENGAL LEFT FRONT GOVT

By MOINUL HASSAN

IN the recent past, there has been lot of discussion regarding the socio economic conditions of the Indian minorities and their development. This is a welcome shift as the discussions will definitely determine the positive role of the State, society and the individual in the coming days. Moreover, we will be able to know the minorities better. Greater information about the daily livelihood, the struggles, sorrows, ecstasy can be gathered by us. The intensity with which the society will open up, the eagerness with which it will express, the due prestige it will usher, will surely help in cementing the democratic roots. Therefore, a liberal social approach and understanding can be developed towards the issues of minority development and their social status. It’s not a question of the minorities benefitting alone but the society as a whole will reap the harvest. Two pre-conceived notions will also cease to exist. The sense of being deprived within the minorities and the notion of the majorities to be at the helm of all affairs will die a gradual death. These discussions are very essential and the ongoing process is the reason for us being optimistic about this.

INTEGRAL ISSUE OF MASS MOVEMENT

One more thing needs to be clarified at the outset. Who will be fighting for the development of the minorities? Is this a battle for equal rights that has to be waged by the minorities alone or is it a war wherein the entire cross section of the society needs to participate. The CPI(M) believes that the challenge of minority development is an integral issue of the entire democratic mass movement. A partial outlook cannot ensure the development of a state or of a particular area. One of the basic tasks awaiting our party is to change the correlation of class forces. The natural allies of the Left are scattered in different parts of the country. Being poor and deprived for long, the majority of the minorities have been the traditional supporters of the Left. However, there has been recently a shift in support base. This support has to be won back through protracted class struggles and by giving special emphasis on the developmental question. This fight has to be an integral part of the class struggle. The problems faced by the dalits, minorities and women are to specially emphasised. Otherwise, the society will be facing a hard division which will be hampering the class struggle in the long run, and the Left by any chance cannot let this happen. From this point of view and commitment the question of minority development is to be addressed.

Some facts and data are well known but still we mention them here once more to record that West Bengal is among the four states in India which has a high percentage of Muslim population. According to 2001 census, a total of 2.31 crore Muslims reside in West Bengal. But already there is a change in that number and the census of 2011 would confirm that. Overall, there is an estimate that one fourth of the entire Bengal population comprise Muslim minorities. They constitute 96 per cent of the total minority population in the state. In 12 districts of the state, Muslims constitute 25 per cent of the total population. In the three districts – Murshidabad, Malda and North Dinajpur – the Muslims constitute more than 50 per cent of the total population. The majority of these Muslims speak Bengali. The few Urdu-speaking Muslims mainly reside at three places namely Kolkata, Asansol and Islampur.

A large section of the Muslim minorities in West Bengal have remained socially, economically and educationally backward. Several steps are necessary to eradicate the backwardness of these sections, namely legal measures, government policy decisions and the flourishing of mass movement. Otherwise, there will be no change in situation. The three decades of the Left Front rule in West Bengal have witnessed various government policies giving economic assistance and prestige to the poor. Since a major number of the poor people belong to Muslim community so the Left front government has played its natural role while deciding on minorities' development. The Muslims in general are poorer and it is not at all unnatural that the Left Front government had taken decisions in their favour. Theoretical debates continue over the reasons behind the backwardness of the Muslims and the trend is going to continue in coming days. Not going into the details of those discussions, I need to throw light upon some essential matters.

IMPACT OF PARTITION

There cannot be any doubt that the partition played havoc upon the Muslim community in our state. Lakhs of Muslims crossed the border with the belief that “this is not my country”. They left back everything. Their abode, belongings, dreams, hopes, sorrows, joy everything was left back as they left their land amidst the campaign of why they will remain in India despite of Pakistan being created. Echoes of such campaign were there in the air in the then rural Bengal. A section of the middle class left in the hope of availing better facilities. The main motive behind the exit of that educated enlighted middle class was the availability of government jobs in the newly established Muslim state of Pakistan.

Beneficiaries of Patta/Barga under Land Reforms

Sl. No.
Item
Total no. of beneficiaries
Minority Beneficiaries
% of Minorities
1.
Patta
2422433
363520
15.01
2.
Barga
1513021
186053
12.30
3.
Land Acquisition (H.S. Land)
321755
36982
11.49

Loans from Banks to minorities

September, 2008
March, 2009
March, 2010
Total
-
51560 crores
60048 crores
Minorities
-
7486 crores
8864 crores
Percentage
8.69%
14.52%
14.76%

The primary stigma of the partition was cured with a huge ‘exchange’ of Muslims beyond the frontier, and the migration continued. The number was increasing radically. Riots, insecurity, and the absence of equal opportunity here had not left any option open except to cross the border. That was the time when most of the densely Muslim populated areas in West Bengal were affected by religious riots for small and petty reasons. Even incidents like the procession of Hindu idols, passing through the road in front of a mosque or distribution of the meat after qurbani, evoked confrontation between the two religions. However, it can be noted that these confrontations were always not caused by pure social reasons but sometime just for the shuffling of the religious trump cards by the political parties. That was the time when Congress was the ruling party in West Bengal as well at the centre. Many of the Congress leaders and workers were found to be associated with these communal riots in a direct or indirect fashion. The Left always stood firmly against such attempts to create communal riots, sometimes even at the cost of their supporters and activists getting killed in the process. Though the Left did not have that much mass base during that time, it used that limited force to tackle the disturbances, to regain the self-confidence and self-reliance of the people. It is another matter that this glorious role of the Left had also consolidated the mass base in due course. The minorities have always considered the leftists to be their friends. In 1964, a huge communal riot took place in and around Kolkata. The minorities were attacked significantly. The riot did not spread to the nook and corner of the state geographically but it ensued ripples of insecurity among the general mass of minorities. The terrorised population started to cross the borders in large numbers. The tiny middle class of Muslims left in Bengal gradually vacated the state for their new abode. Recently, a research work 'The Spoils of Partition' by historian Jaya Chatterjee has shown how the Muslims crossed borders at that time. Boys and girls belonging to Muslim families left school and colleges in a dangerous social environment of misbelief and confusion. The then administration was not in a mood to tackle the problems which had by and large increased the mental tension of the entire Muslim cross section of the population. Political efforts in this regard were never taken up. The Congress governments both at centre and the state kept their silence in this regard while the police administration made the situation more complex by indulging in partial activities. So, the natural corollary was there - the Muslims left the country.

MIRED IN POVERTY

The people who stayed back were mainly poor. Agricultural workers, craftsmen and daily wage workers constituted the bulk. Some upper class Muslim families were there in a very small number in each district but the middle class completely disappeared. The entire mood was akin to that of a deserted defeated soldier. All colours vanished from the life of the community. It will be easy for a social scientist to understand how difficult it was to crave their mode and path of development. Politicians are also social scientists in a way and they also have to understand the problems. At that time majority of the people in Bengal were poor. The majority of the Muslims were associated with agriculture and naturally they were very poor. The word “aakal” (scarcity) was a very common word to be used in the then Bengal. The agrarian production was very less. Food crisis was there. Irrigation facilities were poor. Developed seeds were not available. On top of this, the all powerful money lenders dominated the scene. All poor people were always aprehensive and the Muslims naturally had the lion’s share of the fear too. With poverty of this sort prevailing, thinking of having proper education was a matter of day dreaming. Wards were sent to work at other places not for money but at the cost of ensuring one square meal for them. Does social development happen in such conditions? The first priority was to feed the people. In various districts, documents explaining the socio-economic conditions are being published. We may look at the presence of the Muslims in the field of education after 1947. Let us furnish one example. Recently the celebrated Krishnanath College had its 150 years celebration. During the centenary and also now special numbers to commemorate the anniversary have been published. The lists of students yearwise have been furnished. The number of Muslim students is almost microscopic. If such is the condition in a Muslim dominated district of Murshidabad, it can be well understood what the situation in other parts of the state is.

(B) Total number of madrasahs in Bengal

High Madrsash
Sr. Madrasah

Junior High
High
H.S.
Alim (10 standard)
Fazil (10+2 standard)
Madrasah running with vocational courses
Total no. of madrasahs
104
387
167
102
42
103
605
(A)Total students – more than 4 lakhs
(B) Total post of teaching & non-teaching staff newly created 9662 .
(C) Total Urdu Medium Madrasah –17
(D) Total Girls Madrasahs - 39


Madrasah Service Commission (Founded in 2008)
Teachers recruited by the Commission:
Total: 990 in the year 2007
Total: 1750 (1655 Assistant Teachers, 79 Head Masters and 16 undergraduate teachers in the year 2008)
Total: 1332 (HM- 76, AT- 1236, UG -20)in the year 2009. Grand Total : 4072 candidates. Out of the total candidates 93% are of Minority communities


So, where is the reality behind the campaign of educated Muslim youths being continuously deprived in jobs? It is true that there has been a change in situation now. The change did not take place all of a sudden. There have been long drawn struggles to restore peaceful democratic environment in the state. Both Hindus and Muslims have been an integral part of this struggle. The Left played a glorious role in cementing this bonding and waging a united fight. The working class and the peasantry had also played their role irrespective of religious affiliations. The hard drawn struggles paved the way for the creation of the Left Front government in the state. Innumerable comrades laid down their lives in order to ensure the establishment of the Left Front government. The establishment of the government was welcomed with huge exuberance in the villages and cities of Bengal. When we look back, we can clearly see that eradication of poverty was one of the main agenda of the new government. The minorities were comparatively poorer so naturally their development was prioritised. The same formulation holds true for schedule tribes, schedule castes and adivasis.

LF GOVT'S ACHIEVEMENTS

The first task undertaken by the Left Front government in West Bengal was to stop violence of all sorts. Along with political violence, the religious violence was also stopped thus helping the minorities to regain their lost confidence. The sense that there is no need to shift to Bangladesh or Pakistan started to gather momentum among them. The belief of India being their own country was strengthened. Government decisions alone were not capable of achieving this. The overall education, the strengthened democratic environment and the urge to safeguard the culture had also been responsible in accelerating this process. Another very important factor was the decentralisation of governance through elections to autonomous bodies. For long, there was no election in the municipalities and the panchayats. Common people were not even aware about the election process. The Left Front government kept its pre-election promise and devloved power to local bodies. Huge number of people participated in the process and naturally a large section of Muslims too became part of the administrative process. This is matter of great significance in independent India. Never have Muslims in such large numbers either contested or got elected in elections. The campaign about Muslims not being part of the mainstream of the society was shattered thus giving the minorities a renewed self confidence.

The government was committed to the mass movement for achieving land reforms. The work began and West Bengal became became the best advertisement of land reforms in our country. Out of the total beneficiaries through land reforms in the country, 54 per cent were from Bengal alone. According to a report published on February 28, 2010 a total of 11.277 lakh acres of land in West Bengal have been distributed through land reforms, which has directly benefited 30.106 lakh farmers, 55 per cent of who belonged to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. This percentage will reach upto 75 per cent if we include the minorities benefeciaries. Another outcome of the land reforms was to provide the succession rights to the bargadars (sharecroppers) and record the names of daily wage workers in the fields. Till November 2009, a total of 15.37 lakh names have been recorded as bargadars.The total land amounted to 4.56 lakh acres. Out of the total recorded names, SC benefeciaries were 4.73 lakh, STs were 1.67 lakh and minorities 1.86 lakh. The distribution of the excess lands among the landless people is a regular process practiced by the state government, which has provided the maximum benefit to the downtrodden people of the state, and especially the minorities in huge numbers. Till the end of the year 2009, 4.56 lakh hectares of excess land was distributed among 29.89 lakh people. Among these benefeciaries, 11.03 lakh people belonged to the Scheduled Castes, 5.47 lakh to the Scheduled Tribes and 3.62 lakh to the minority community. (Source: The Economic Survey 2009-2010 and financial budget speech 2010-1011 delivered by the state finance minister)

PART– II

ALTHOUGH the people of Bengal are well aware about the consistent role of the Left Front government in ensuring the development of the minorities in the state, the recent data available underlines this fact emphatically. In the recent state budget for 2010-11, it was announced in the budget statement: “In the sphere of Madrasah education and development of minority communities, special priority has been accorded to the improvement of vocational and technical education along with the expansion of education and improvement of standards so that the students belonging to the minority communities can have wider opportunities of participation in the production process, employment and income. With this objective, along with upgradation of 112 junior high madrasahs to high madrasahs and 196 high madrasahs to higher madrasahs during the current year, 75 more junior high madrasahs will be upgraded to high madrasahs and 100 high madrasahs to higher madrasahs the next year. Vocational training in 160 high and higher madrasahs is a part of the process of upgradation.

“In the sphere of higher education for Aliah University, stress has once again been given on modern vocational and technical education alongside teaching and research. A new campus for women in the university is being set up. In addition, a proposal has been moved from the state level for increasing the number of beneficiaries of pre-matric scholarship awarded to the students of the minority communities under a joint centre-state programme from 2.44 lakh in the current year to at least 5 lakh in the next year. In this case a special initiative will be taken so that students get this scholarship regularly through bank or post office accounts opened in their names. Honourable members are aware that 12 districts, including Kolkata, are covered under the joint centre-state multipurpose plan for development of minority communities. I am happy to announce that from next year, the state government has decided to implement this multipurpose plan with its own funds in every block in which there is a concentration of minorities in the remaining 7 districts. It is necessary to mention in this context that for the purpose of employment generation and training of minority communities, the West Bengal Minorities Development and Finance Corporation has sanctioned in the year 2009-10, 100 crores as against Rs 63.28 crore benefitting 1.09 lakh persons in the year 2008-09. According to the latest data compiled by the Ministry of Minority Affairs of the Government of India, West Bengal now ranks first in the country in this regard. Having regard to all these overall priorities, I propose to increase the plan outlay of the Department of Minority Affairs and Madrasha Education from Rs 121.0 crore in the current year to Rs 300.0 crore in the next year.”

Along with Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis and Christians who are regarded as minorities at the national level, even Jains are also recognised as minorities in Bengal. The Left Front government has been striving for the welfare and development of the minorities. For the development of the minority Muslims, there are nine autonomous bodies namely West Bengal Minority Development and Finance Corporation, West Bengal Minority Commission, West Bengal Wakf Board, West Bengal State Haj Committee, West Bengal Urdu Academy, Wakf tribunal, West Bengal Madrasah Education Board, West Bengal Madrasah Service Commission and Alia University. All these are engaged in various welfare and developmental activities.

The main activities that have been undertaken and the projects that have already been planned are as follows-

Hostels for Muslim Girls: Many believe that one of the reasons behind the socio-economic backwardness of the Muslim community is the prevalence of illiteracy among Muslims in general and amongst the Muslim girls in particular. Keeping in mind this very reason, a decision to set up hostels for Muslim girls in remote locations has been planned long back. The plan covers building of more than one hostel in each of the twelve districts. Already ten hostels have been set up. In the financial year 2009-10, two new hostels have been planned. Rupees 50 lakh have been allotted for building of such hostels in the year 2008-09. The allocation has increased and in the year 2009-10 it amounted to Rs 4 crore. A total of 21 girls’ hostels have been planned, this benefiting a large number of Muslim girl students.

Construction of boundaries for graveyards: Boundaries for 102 graveyards have been constructed in the year 2008-09 at the expense of Rs 3.77 crore in order to ensure proper maintenance of the graveyards. The allocation has been increased to Rs 4 crore in the year 2009-10 for this purpose. 16 boundaries have been constructed in 2009-10 and target has been set for construction of 50 more boundaries. Along with the government allocations, funds are also allocated from MP LADS and MLA funds for this purpose and the works are executed by the district administration. The Left Front government is sympathetically considering the demand for setting up another graveyard in the city of Kolkata.

Empowerment of Minority women: The loan scheme for women is a very effective tool in empowering minority women. Divorcees or utterly destitute women who are within the age group of 20-45 years and whose yearly income is up to Rs 45,000 are given loans at 3 per cent per annum.

West Bengal Minority Development and Finance Corporation: Rs 20 crore has been spent in the year 2008-09 by this corporation. Under the fund for rural infrastructure development, Rs 2 crore was allocated for development of minority areas. Of this amount, till date Rs 1.81 crore has been utilised. The corporation, which has been set up in 1996 for the development of minorities in the fields of commerce and industry, provides loans at low interest rates to economically backward minorities. In the year 2008-09, Rs 89.53 crore have been spent in this regard.

Education Loans and Scholarships: The concerned department has been taking consistent steps in this regard. In the year 2008-09, 3336 students have received scholarship. Another 23,238 students received post secondary scholarship (central part) while 6935 got hold of post secondary scholarship (state part). The total number of recipients of pre secondary scholarship have been 64,924.

West Bengal Haj Committee: This committee makes arrangements for the Haj pilgrims from the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam, Manipur and Tripura. The state government provides financial assistance for meeting the various expenses of the pilgrims. Rs 1.50 crores has already been allotted for the construction of the new Haj building near Kolkata airport. The building has been recently inaugurated by the chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. The total expenditure for the construction of this centre will be Rs 5 crore. In the last season, the total number of pilgrims from the state was 7300. The state government and the Haj Committee are working together to make the entire journey of the religious people safe and comfortable.

Waqf Board: The Waqf Board has been vested with more power to discharge its work in more developed and smooth manner. A total amount of Rs 20 crores has been allotted. It has been decided that all waqf property under adverse possession or illegal transfer shall be restored and the income, which will be incurred out of the same property, shall be spent for the welfare of the Muslim community. An amount of Rs 2 crore has been allotted for the board in the year 2009-2010. A total of 8737 properties have already been listed in the waqf schedule. The rent of famous Shaw Wallace Building and the Tollygunge Club building have been increased to Rs 7 lakh per month. The one time earning has reached to Rs 2 crore. Now, the process of computerised documentation of all waqf properties has been commenced.

Urdu Academy: The prime aim of this academy is to propagate and encourage Urdu language and literature. The fundamental works taken by the Academy are educational programmes, announcing scholarships and prizes, printing and publication, running correspondence courses, and providing vocational training. The budget allocation for these purposes for the year 2009-2010 is Rs 2 crore. The Left Front government has decided that if someone writes the letter to the government departments in Urdu, it would be replied to in Urdu only. The government circulars have to be communicated in Urdu in certain places. Many more Urdu medium primary schools will be opened in the Urdu-speaking areas and soon the vacancies of the teachers will be filled in all Urdu schools. Already, Arabic has been included in Bachelors course in many colleges of the state. Now the priority is improvement of the quality of that education by appointment of efficient teachers. The government has already taken the initiative to appoint the efficient teachers.

Board of Madrasah Education: The Madrasah education in West Bengal has a glorious history and tradition. Keeping this in mind, the Left Front government extended autonomy to the Madrasah Board in the year 1994. The syllabus of Madrasah education has been upgraded and modernised with the commencement of the computer courses in 150 Madrasahs and inclusion of technical education in 89 others. The entire education system has been brought under the fold of Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan. The government has planned to build 10 Madrasahs as centre of excellences. A total number of 8 lakh students are getting themselves educated in 576 Madrasahs and 185 Centres for Madrasah Education through out the state. Affiliation has been given to 200 child education centres and 300 centres for higher Madrasah education. It is hoped that soon these institutions will achieve the reorganisation of educational institutions in the academic year 2009-2010. Now, let us look at the unique characteristics of the Madrasahs in West Bengal:

1.With a countable exceptions, almost all Madrasahs in the state have co-educational system, which is indeed very rare in other states.

2. Though the Higher Madrasahs are regulated by the Board of Madrasah Education, they come under the purview of state higher education council.

3. Almost all Madrasahs are having a large number of non-Muslim students.

4. A large number of non-Muslim teachers and non teaching staff are also appointed in the Madrasahs.

5. It can be found that a large number of non-Muslims apply for the examination conducted by the Madrasah Education Commission for the posts of teachers in Madrasahs.

All these characteristics are a reflection of the deep secular roots of tradition, education and culture of the state and they reveal the confidence of the people in the very spirit of secular democracy.

Alia University: The process to establish Alia University has already been initiated, which will gradually become a modern university. The state government has extended all kinds of administrative and financial support to fulfil the dreams of the minority community that have been cherished for a long time. I personally dream of having Al Azahar University in our state in the near future.

[Source: The Economic Development Report 2009-2010 placed in the state assembly recently]

PART– III


A NATIONWIDE debate has been going on concerning the extent of aid that will be rendered to Muslims through provision of 15 per cent reservation in employment and education. West Bengal is not outside this discussion. In the meantime, in the month of December 2009 Justice Ranganath Mishra's recommendations were placed in the parliament. The main features of the recommendations were as follows:

1.In the matter of criteria for identifying backward classes, there should be absolutely no discrimination whatsoever between the majority community and the minorities; and, therefore, the criteria now applied for this purpose to the majority community – whatever that criteria may be – must be unreservedly applied also to all the minorities.

2. All those classes, sections and groups among the minorities should be treated as backward whose counterparts in the majority community are regarded as backward under the present scheme of things.

3. All those social and vocational groups among the minorities who but for their religious identity would have been covered by the present net of Scheduled Castes should be unquestionably treated as socially backward, irrespective of whether the religion of those other communities recognises the caste system or not.

4. The groups among the minorities whose counterparts in the majority community are at present covered by the net of Scheduled Tribes should also be included in that net; and also, more specifically, members of the minority communities living in any Tribal Area from pre-independence days should be also included irrespective of their ethnic characteristics.

5. As the meaning and scope of Article 30 of the Constitution has become quite uncertain, complicated and diluted due to their varied and sometimes conflicting judicial interpretations, the commission recommend that a comprehensive law should be enacted without delay to detail all aspects of minorities' educational rights under that provision with a view to reinforcing its original dictates in letter and spirit.

6. As by the force of judicial decisions, the minority intake in minority educational institutions has, in the interest of national integration, been restricted to about 50 per cent, thus virtually earmarking the remaining 50 per cent or so for the majority community – the commission strongly recommend that, by the same analogy and for the same purpose, at least 15 per cent seats in all non-minority educational institutions should be earmarked by law for the minorities. The break up within the recommended 15 per cent earmarked seats in institutions shall be 10 per cent for the Muslims.

7. As regards the backward sections among all the minorities, the commission recommend that the concessions now available in terms of lower eligibility criteria for admission and lower rate of fee, now available to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, should be extended also to such sections among the minorities.

8. In respect of the Muslims – who are the largest minority at the national level with a country-wide presence and yet educationally the most backward of the religious communities, the commission recommend that select institutions in the country like the Aligarh Muslim University and the Jamia Milia Islamia should be legally given a special responsibility to promote education at all levels to Muslim students by taking all possible steps for this purpose. At least one such institution should be selected for this purpose in each of those states and Union Territories which has a substantial Muslim population.

9. In the funds to be distributed by the Maulana Azad Educational Foundation, a suitable portion should be earmarked for the Muslims proportionate to their share in the total minority population. Out of this portion, funds should be provided not only to the existing Muslim institutions but also for setting up new institutions from nursery to the highest level and for technical and vocational education anywhere in India but especially in the Muslim-concentration areas.

10. Anganwadis, Navodaya Vidyalayas and other similar institutions should be opened under their respective schemes especially in each of the Muslim-concentration areas and Muslim families be given suitable incentives to send their children to such institutions.

11. As many minorities groups specialise in certain household and small scale industries, the commission recommended that an effective mechanism should be adopted to work for the development and modernisation of all such industries and for a proper training of artisans and workmen among the minorities – especially among the Muslims among whom such industries, artisans and workmen are in urgent need of developmental assistance.

12. As the largest minority of the country, the Muslims, as also some other minorities have a scant or weak presence in the agrarian sector, the commission recommend that special schemes should be formulated for the promotion and development of agriculture, agri-economy and agricultural trade among them.

13. It recommended that effective ways should be adopted to popularise and promote all the self-employment and income-generating schemes among the minorities and to encourage them to benefit form such schemes.

14. The commission recommend that a 15 per cent share be earmarked for the minorities – with a break-up of 10 per cent for the Muslim (commensurate with their 73 per cent share of the former in the total minority population at the national level) – and 5 per cent for the other minorities in all government schemes like Rural Employment Generation Programme, Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojna, Grameen Rozgar Yojna, etc.

15. Since the minorities – especially the Muslims – are very much under-represented, and sometimes wholly unrepresented, in government employment, the commission recommended that they should be regarded as backward in this respect within the meaning of that term as used in Article 16 (4) of the Constitution – notably without qualifying the word ‘backward’ with the words “socially and educationally” – and that 15 per cent of posts in all cadres and grades under the central and state governments should be earmarked. The break up within the recommended 15 per cent shall be 10 per cent for the Muslims.

16. It recommended that the reservations are to be extended to the Scheduled Tribes, which is a religion-neutral class, should be carefully examined to assess the extent of minority presence in it and remedial measures should be initiated to correct the imbalance if any.

17. The commission recommended that as the Constitution of India guarantees freedom of conscience and religious freedom as a Fundamental Right, once a person has been included in a Scheduled Caste list, a wilful change of religion on his part should not effect adversely his or her Scheduled Caste status.

18. The commission felt that in order to enact the recommendations, there is no need for amending the Constitution. The enactment can be done through parliamentary and administrative orders.

Another significant recommendation of the Ranganath Mishra commission states “We recommend that para 3 of the Constitution (Schedule Castes) order - 1950, which originally restricted it to Sikhs and Buddhists, thus still excluding from its purview the Muslims, Christians, Jains and Parsis etc, should be wholly deleted by appropriate action so as to completely de-link Scheduled Caste status from religion and make the Scheduled Castes also religion-neutral on the lines of STs.

The other major recommendations of the commission are regarding creation of Parliamentary committee; a Task Force at the state level to look into the minority affairs; and a Minority Welfare Committee in minority districts.

If we deeply look into the recommendations we will see that mainly three types of recommendations are there. Firstly, directly reserve 15 per cent for the minorities in education and employment and out of this 10 per cent for the Muslims and the rest 5 per cent for the other minorities. Secondly, if that cannot be done then look into OBC reservations of 22 per cent. Within the OBCs, the minorities are 8.4 per cent. So, out of the 22 per cent OBC reservation, 8.4 per cent can be reserved for the minorities. And out of this, 6 per cent will be for the Muslims and the rest 2.4 per cent for other minorities. Thirdly, the scheduled caste list be made secular. Engaged in the same work reservations will be there for Hindu Scheduled castes and it will not apply for Muslims is a strange phenomenon.

BENGAL GOVT RESPONSE

The chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, welcomed the Justice Ranganath Mishra report immediately after it was published. And on 8 February, he announced 10 per cent reservations in government jobs for socially, economically and educationally backward Muslims belonging to the OBC list. At present in West Bengal, 7 per cent reservation exists for the OBCs. That will now be reaching 17 per cent. The families whose annual income is Rs 4.5 lakh or above are to be treated as creamy layer and excluded from the ambit of reservation. At present, the reservation will hold good for jobs only. Whether it will be extended to education or not will be decided later and the mechanism will be worked out then. At present 70 groups are there among the OBCs in Bengal. Some more have appealed to the Backward Development Commission. There are chances of some of them getting incorporated within the list shortly.

The entire process has to go through three stages. Firstly, those Muslim groups are to be identified who can come under the OBC list. Secondly, the creamy layer has to be excluded and thirdly, they have to be given certificates without any problem.

Muslims constitute one-fourth of the total population of the state. Almost 10 per cent Muslims are within the OBC list. Out of the present 70 groups, 13 groups are Muslims. Those in the list are jola (ansari-momin), potidar, kasai, noshya, seikh, paharia-muslim, kujra, sershabadi, hajam, beldar, khetta, sarkar, chaudhuli.

Many more can come in the list namely ‘guri’ people who catch small fishes. Their counterparts among the Hindus are in the Scheduled Caste list. In my own village, a locality was there called Guripara. In this, the Muslims lived by catching fish and selling it. Very recently, I was travelling from Beliaghata to Sealdah in Kolkata and suddenly came across Gurimahal para before getting on the Sealdah bridge. I went down and asked the people in and around there. I came to know that once Muslim Bengali fishermen stayed there. After partition, they caught a train from Sealdah through Banpur upto Moimonsingha in Bangladesh. They never returned only leaving their name which still happens to identify that area. I have seen roads in Baharampore, Murshidabad by the same name.

Very less in number but dhukris still remain. The name itself is strange to hear. Our mothers and grandmothers were fond of stiching “kathas”. The embroidery of the kathas is a very delicate artwork. A similar type of inflated thing called” dhokra” were also made using unused clothings. The makers of this product are called dhukris and they are still found in Murshidabad, Malda and in Amdanga (North 24 Parganas). They also can come in the OBC list. Khalifas are makers of umbrellas. From the Dewansai area in Murshidabad they have spread to different parts of the state and the country. Anyhow, I will not go on furnishing more examples. The groups that can come under OBC list may be like this: mandal, sikdar, majumdar, tatia, kolu, molla, guri, dhukri, pechi, ghoshi, mahaladar, aabdaal, bosni, kankhalifa, behara, dai, sanakar, turki, malo, sabjiwala, mahefras, dhuli etc.

The work of inclusion has picked up pace. People can appeal either through the form available on the commission’s website or on a plain white paper. The commission will have a hearing and thereby decide upon. The commission has the right to call any group and make decisions. It can be said that a large section of Muslim groups will be incorporated in the OBC list once it is finalised.

WHY SUCH A RESPONSE

What are the reasons behind such an announcement of the West Bengal Left Front government? The first consideration is the Article 15(4) and Article 16(4) of the Constitution that speak for such reservations. Secondly, the backwardness of the Muslims is a hard fact that is apparent without the commission’s report also. Hindus and Muslims live together and everybody is well aware about the day to day realities. The much discussed and debated Sachhar Committee report has stated that the socio economic conditions of the Muslims are in a real bad shape and needs to be rectified on an urgent basis. Thirdly, the summary of the Ranganath Mishra recommendations has argued for reservations directly.

Many people ask whether reservations exists for Muslims in other states of the country. The answer is no. Before the Constitution was amended in 1950, there were reservations in states like Travancore, Saurashtra and Mysore, keeping the social considerations in mind. Before the finalisation of the Constitution in the Constituent Assembly, personalities like Jawharlal Nehru, B R Ambedkar and K M Munshi spoke in favour of cancelling all existing reservations and formulate something afresh. But unanimity was not achieved. At that point of time, framing the Constitution was the most important consideration for the country and it was adopted. And it is precisely for this reason that there are reservations on the basis of religion in some states like Kerala and it is continuing since before independence.

In the states of Tamilnadu, Bihar and Karnataka, within the OBC list another list called MBC (most backward communities) list have been created. In Tamilnadu and Bihar, nearly 95 per cent Muslims have been brought under reservations. It is well known to us that recently the Andhra Pradesh government spoke of 5 per cent reservation for the Muslims, which was turned down by the state High Court. The Supreme Court again has taken somewhat positive stand in this regard. The complete verdict is yet to come and we are looking hopefully to the honourable Supreme Court.

The government at the centre seems to be not in a hurry even after the publication of the Ranganath Mishra report. It has so far not even placed the action taken report. The most important thing now is that the central government needs to speak in a frank manner. Muslim organisations and eminent personalities met recently in Delhi and they have adopted a resolution which states “The participants are convinced that reservation has become a universally accepted device for equalising opportunities in heterogeneous and multi-segmented societies. If equality and justice reach the weaker sections, they are equally convinced that within the democratic framework all deprived and frustrated groups have a right to place their problems before the bar of the nation and receive their share in the national pie.”

Along with this the resolution mentions “the participants pay their tribute to the Sachhar Committee which diagnosed the malice and to the Mishra Commission which has prescribed the panacea and urge the government, the secular parties and the parliament to dispense the remedial measure urgently.” So, everybody is eagerly looking towards the central government though no positive steps have been taken by them in this regard so far.

We need to conclude our discussion here. The development of the minorities in West Bengal is not a stray incident. It has been an integral part of the democratic movement. It is driven from the understanding that we have to take decisions standing on the firm realities. We have to take separate initiatives for the backward Minorities and it will overall strengthen our process of development.

Some speak of minority appeasement. We, as Leftists, believe that the minorities are persons not to be looked down upon and they are a people craving for justice. With this belief, all our works are to be planned. In West Bengal, the Left Front government does not look at the religion of the common man while bringing about changes in their lives. The poor people have been the greatest consideration of the government. Muslims, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are comparatively more poor, so their development needs to be prioritised. And, if for that some people raise the slogan of appeasement, they will definitely be isolated from the people.

Development will be ensured through the path of mass movement. The Left has always believed in the development of common man, independent of caste, creed, religion, language, race etc and will continue to do so. In no way can we be deviated from our ideals.

SOURCE: PEOPLE'S DEMOCRACY