By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 12 Feb 2015: The Delhi-based Zakat Foundation of India has urged the Aam Aadmi Party to implement the recommendations of Sachar Committee Report. AAP is going to form government in Delhi on Saturday after the landslide victory in the Assembly polls.
In a congratulatory letter to AAP leader and chief minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal, ZFI president Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood requested him “to kindly consider the following major recommendations of Justice Sachar Committee, Justice Mishra Commission, Mr. Harsh Mandar and others for planned implementation in Delhi in a time bound manner.” Former civil servant Dr. Mahmood was OSD of the PMO-appointed Sachar panel – which was headed by former Delhi High Court chief justice Rajindar Sachar.
AAP has won 67 out of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections. Voting was held on 7th Feb and results were declared on 10th Feb. BJP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which had won 32 seats in last Assembly polls in Dec 2013, was reduced to just three seats in this election.
ZFI’s letter carries 11 demands:
1. Units of Planning & Implementation: Make the village (in rural area) and ward (in urban area) [and not the district or block] as units of planning for infrastructure schemes (including MSDP) and their implementation.
2. Alternate Admission Criteria: Implement the ALTERNATE ADMISSION CRITERIA that will help the poor among all communities and will facilitate admissions to the ‘most backward’ in regular universities and colleges, providing a rating/grading system (Sachar Committee Report page 246, Statement 12.1). That way, for granting admission in higher education, the candidate’s backwardness will occupy 40% of the criteria while the remaining 60% will be based on the candidate’s academic merit.
State funding should also be linked to the use of such criteria in admissions by the educational institutions.
3. Equal Opportunity Commission: Establish Equal Opportunity Commission in Delhi.
(Modalities were finalized by Central Govt’s Expert Committee 5 years ago)
4. Incentive Schemes based on Diversity Index: Institute in Delhi the Schemes for Incentives based on Diversity Index. That is to say, if an individual, a government officer, a company, a PSU etc proactively ensures that the beneficiaries of his or her work proportionately include persons of different faiths then such government officer, company, PSU etc will be given incentives by way of tax benefit or conferment of state award etc. (Modalities for such schemes also were finalized by Central Govt’s Expert Committee 5 years ago).
5. Interest Free Finance Option: (a) Accept in principle the option for interest-free finance in the banking sector. (b) Write to the Central Government recommending the (i) Implementation of the erstwhile Planning Commission’s Raghuram Rajan Committee Report on financial sector reforms and (ii) Expeditious launch of the SBI’s proposed Shariat-friendly Mutual Equity Fund. (c) In the meanwhile, initiate the process in Delhi by granting the facility of SUKUK BONDS.
6. Budget Component: Create Special Component Plan in the Budget for Muslims’ skill development programs and other economic opportunities. (‘Promises to Keep’ by Harsh Mandar & others)
7. Delimitation: Get de-reserved the constituencies with substantial Muslim presence. Create a cell in the CM’s office to carry out research and collect data. Write to the Delimitation Commission to remove these anomalies. For example, in Delhi, Mangolpuri assembly constituency (Scheduled Castes 34.16%, Muslims 6.31%) is not reserved for SCs. However, Seemapuri assembly constituency (SCs 28.97%, Muslims 17.38%) is reserved for SCs. Such gross injustice to Muslims needs to be reversed.
8. Waqfs:
(a) Institutionally ensure that
(i) No Waqf property is leased at less than the currently prevalent fair market rate of rent.
(ii) No Waqf lease proposal is required to be submitted to the state government before the State Waqf Board is enabled to issue the lease order.
(b) Order the vacation of Waqf properties occupied for long by the central & Delhi Governments and their agencies and restore these to the Delhi State Waqf Board. For the period of occupation, Waqf Board should be given rent at market rate.
(c) Ensure that all the 123 Waqf properties are immediately returned to the Delhi Waqf Board immediately and it begins working to fruitfully utilize these as per the Waqf purposes.
(d) Appoint a senior officer of an all-India or central service as CEO of Delhi Waqf Board on the pattern of several states where senior officers are appointed to manage temples & pratishthaans.
9. Madarsas: (a) Publicize the Central Madarsa Modernization Scheme (SPQEM) in Urdu & Hindi. (b) Establish equivalence between Madarsa and other education in coordination with UGC and NIOS.
10. Urdu Teachers: Implement the Central Urdu Teachers Scheme.
11. Muslim Nomination & Involvement: (a) Like, Andhra Pradesh, evolve procedure to nominate Muslims in public positions of power, not only in areas of exclusive Muslim interest but in all other areas also. (b) Involve Muslim beneficiary groups in planning & oversight of projects. (c) Concentrate on benefiting the whole Muslim community, not only a few individuals.
