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Equal Opportunities Commission &
Sikhs
Parmeet Pal
Singh
 The
Sacchar Committee Report now forming the basis of many affirmative
actiosn in India regarding the minority communities has spoke of
nearly 30 per cent of the Sikhs belonging to SC, ST sections. Many
of these Sikhs are poor. The state of the Sikligar Sikhs has been
well brought out in these columns of the WSN by its editor Jagmohan
Singh. Efforts of S Nanak Singh Nishter or Ravinder Singh of
Akhar-SOH coupled with some tangible work by Harcharan Singh Josh in
trying to estimate the numbers of Sikligar Sikhs has been
commendable.
The state of
affairs of the Rai Sikhs in Punjab's border areas is extremely bad,
irrespective of the fact that one among them has become an MP now.
With such
perennially backward sections in its folds, a community such as the
Sikhs must take a deep and abiding interest in the setting up of the
Sacchar-recommended Equal Opportunity Commission.
In India, the
EOC is being largely seen as a body that will address the grievances
of the Muslim community, but it will be pertinent to note that the
Sikh community too can benefit from the EOC if we are prepared to
hone our skills and get the Commission to pay attention to sections
of our community that need to be brought on board.
The mandate of
the Equal opportunity Commission (EOC) is to look into the
grievances of the deprived groups. Deprivation, poverty and
discrimination may exist among all SRCs (socio-religious categories)
but the fact of belonging to a minority community has, it cannot be
denied, an in-built sensitivity to discrimination. This sensitivity
is natural and may exist among religious minorities in any country.
For too long,
the Sikligar Sikhs have suffered because they did not get the
protection of the many schemes for poor. Being Sikhs, they were not
given caste certificates at many places despite having been
classified as Backward Class or Scheduled Caste in various states of
India.
The Indian government has singularly failed in coming up with some
sort of microbanking system to help these people pull themselves out
of abject poverty.
The fact that
the established sections of the Sikh community has also lagged
behind in fulfilling its reposnibility towards the children of a
lesser God has not helped matters.
Now that there
is a legal remedy on the way, the Sikhs should try and extract the
best for thse sections.
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It is a well-known fact that poor Sikhs, particularly Sikligars,
Rai Sikhs etc just like Muslims and Dalits find it extremely
difficult to secure bank loans or loans from any housing
agencies. Though Sacchar Committee has recommended that Muslims
be made available bank loans but even Reserve Bank and State
Banks are resisting such demands. EOC may address not only such
problems but also other complaints about discrmination. |
The Sacchar
Committee derives its EOC model from
U.K.
which has Race Relations Act, 1976. But what we need to press for is
an effective EOC. Not some kind of a replica of National Minorities
Commission.
And we need to
know how the roles of the two bodies will differ. The NMC is
ineffective and has completely failed to achieve its purpose. Its
reports are not even tabled in Parliament and these reports are in
no way binding to the Government of India. The people do not even
come to know when the NMC submitted its report and what are its
contents. Its reports are not even properly publicized.
Equal
Opportunity Commission, on the other hand, as its name itself
indicates can be very effective legal instrument to ensure that
minorities should be ensured equal opportunities along with the
majority in the country. In democracy all citizens, irrespective of
their caste or creed or sex should have equal opportunities and our
Constitution clearly provides for equal opportunities but it has
never been observed in practice.
India will do
itself a service if it ensures that the EOC is not a toothless tiger
and can engage with the issues of exclusion and inclusion.
24
June 2009
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