A day after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi took up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Union Cabinet approved notification of Jains as a minority community at the national level.
The Jains have thus become the sixth community to be granted such status after Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis.
Jains are about 0.4% of India’s population and in the 2001 census, were about 42 lakh-strong. Their population is now estimated at around 50 lakh; Mumbai accounts for the largest number of about 10% (or 4-5 lakh).
Once recognized as a minority, they will get a share in Central funds earmarked for welfare schemes and government programmes as well as scholarships. They can also manage and administer their own educational institutions.
The community already enjoys minority status in some states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan but the cabinet decision extends that status across the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment