1947 till 2023: India's minority population increased by 5 percent, NCM chief

New Delhi: India has witnessed a five per cent increase in minority population since independence which shows the level of protection the country has provided to such communities, National Commission for Minorities chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura said.

He made the remarks at the annual conference of the state minorities commissions at the Ambedkar International Centre here.

Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla said, "In order to fulfil the mandate of our Constitution of welfare of minorities, we have institutions like the Ministry of Minority Affairs and National Commission for Minorities, working day and night." "We have a crucial role in fulfilling the government's vision of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas.' As minorities, our role is to put in efforts for nation's development, that is 'Prayas'," he said.

The conference was inaugurated by Barla in the presence of Lalpura, Vice Chairman of NCM KK Deboo and members Dhanyakumar Jinappa Gunde, Rinchen Lahmo and Syed Shahezadi.

The Chairman and Members of State Minorities Commission, Advisors of NCM and many other prominent people working for minorities also participated in the conference. The conference is being held after six years with the last meet held in 2017.

The conference provided a platform to state minorities commissions to share their experiences in tackling problems faced by minorities of states and discuss remedial measures to ensure welfare and socio-economic development of minorities.

From 1947 till now

Lalpura said from independence till now, India has witnessed approximately five per cent decrease in majority population and five per cent increase in minority population.

This shows the level of protection India has provided to the minority communities, he said.

"No profession has remained untouched, when it comes to the contribution of minorities. Minorities have immensely contributed to every field and profession including judiciary, sports, healthcare and more," he said.

This year, the conference included two panel discussions on themes including -- Role of Minorities in Development of India and the Role of Administration in addressing Minority related issues.

Role of administration in resolving minority issues

While discussing the role of administration in resolving the issues of minorities in India, the panelists talked about issues such as alleged fraudulent conversions, hate speeches against minorities, incidents of violence, problem in obtaining minority certificates, lack of awareness of schemes and no formation of minorities commission in many states.

Recommendations

* Greater sensitivity amongst police force for tackling cases involving minorities

* Promotion of inclusiveness of diversity

* Building a uniform system across the country for issuing minority certificates

*Wide publicity of government schemes for raising awareness and encouraging dialogue between all the minority communities for promotion of communal harmony.

Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Members of State Minorities Commissions of Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Delhi attended and representatives of state minorities commissions were felicitated by Chairman and Members of NCM for their efforts in the upliftment of minorities.

Inputs from PTI