Reservation for Dalit Muslims & Dalit Christians
The Government has said that the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has recommended that Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes(SC/ST) converts to Christianity or Islam should continue to enjoy all privileges and benefits as SCs/STs.
Giving this information in the Rajya Sabha today in a written reply Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister for Minority Affairs, said that in 1995, National Commission for Minorities, under Section 9(1) of the National Commission for Minorities Act 1992, recommended that Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes(SC/ST) converts to Christianity or Islam should continue to enjoy all privileges and benefits as SCs/STs on par with the SC/ST converts to Buddhism.
Further, in 1997, NCM, under Section 9(1) of the NCM Act 1992, recommended for the outright removal of the Proviso in Constitution(Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950 which confines the SC status strictly to three specified religions.
Further, the National Commission for Minorities, in their Annual Report for 2006-07, have recommended that Christian and Muslim dalits, must be given the benefit of affirmative action through reservation.
Source: PIB
Comments
I think these 'oppressed' christians and muslims basically do not know what they want in their lives.
As long as they are called Dalits, they are entitled to get the SC stauts and privileges in education, jobs etc. Dalits is not a mere word, it symbolizes their status (downtrodden) in the society. Providing reservation to Dalit Christians and Dalit muslims is a positive approach, though it is belated.
Being a member of Dalit community, I strongly welcome this issue. Those who are interested in the development of our nation would certainly welcome this issue and support it. People who criticize and oppose this issue are not concerned about the development of our country; they do not want the Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims to come up in their lives.
Congress government is doing many things to streamline the ups and downs of the society, I am sure that the Congress led union government would take necessary steps to implement the recommendations of National Commission on Minorities headed by Justice Ranganath Mishra, making suitable amendments in the Constitution of India to provide SC status to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims on par with SCs in Hinduism and Buddhism.