Minority share in govt jobs up

MUMBAI: It’s often pointed out that members of minority communities, especially Muslims, have been left out of India’s growth story in the past few decades. Their relatively low numbers in government jobs are often cited as evidence that minorities who do not enjoy easy access to education are increasingly getting cut off from the national mainstream. The tide in this regard, though, has begun to turn.

Numbers sourced from the ministry of minority affairs show that 2009 registered a six-fold increase in the number of people from minority communities recruited to jobs in public sector banks and other public sector financial institutions compared to 2007.

The banking sector has been one of the fastest growing segments in the post-liberalization economy and any recruitment of minorities to it is seen as a welcome development.

The story, however, does not end there. The recruitment of minorities into railway jobs doubled from 2007 to 2009 and a strong surge was also visible in their appointments in the paramilitary forces and various public sector undertakings (PSUs).

The change follows a concerted policy effort by the UPA government which first brought out the ‘Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme for Welfare of Minorities’ in June 2006. Among other things — like better access to education and technical training — the programme said ‘‘ special consideration’ ’ would be given to members of minority communities for filling up posts in ‘‘ police, railways, nationalized banks and PSUs’’.