Jain Minority Issue: Points to be Considered

 -Mahavir Sanglikar

Jain activists working on Jain minority issue should think on following points:

National Minority Status

Getting national minority status is a must thing to get all the benefits offered by Central Government to the religious minority communities. At present, we get the benefits offered by state Governments only, that too only for the community members of the states which have declared Jains as a religious minority.

Remember that minority status has nothing to do with Separate Religious Identity, but it is for upliftment of followers of minority religions, and to safeguard their interests. Minority status issue is about Jain Community, not about Jain religion. Also remember that National Minority Status is our constitutional right.  

Minority Status in States

If we get national minority status, we will get minority status in all the states and territories of India. This means that we will get the status automatically in the states where we yet have not gotten it.  However, as National Minority Status for Jains is a pending issue, we should try our best to get minority status in maximum number of states. This will help us to get National Minority Status, as well as to get benefits offered by state Governments to minority communities.

National Minority benefits in States

As we yet are not considered as religious minority on national level, we do not get any benefits offered by Central Government. We should demand for Central Government benefits to Jain community in the states, where we come under religious minority status.

Minority Certificate

Jain students and other young Jains are facing problems while proving their religious identity to get state Government benefits. We should demand for issue of Jain Minority Certificates from related State Governments. Recently, Uttar Pradesh Government has started to issue such certificates.

Divided We Fall

The Jain activists working on this issue are scattered, many of them have sectarian spirit and they avoid to co-operate and co-ordinate with each other on this issue. We should remember that the minority status is for entire Jain community and it has nothing to do with sects, i.e. Digambars or Shwetambars. If we do not work together, be sure to get setbacks in this mission.

In fact we need to establish two co-ordination committees to handle Minority Issue. First committee of all Jains working on this issue. Second of Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs who are facing the same problems. Further, we should Co-ordinate with the activists from other religious minority communities like Muslims and Christians.

OBCs & STs in Jains

A big number of Jain castes come under Other Backward Castes (OBC). Minority Status and OBC Status are two different things. While minority status is for all Jains, OBC status is only for those who belong to the Other Backward Castes. The same thing is about Tribal Jains. They come under ST (Scheduled Tribe). Another fact is that If People belonging to Schedule Castes (To whom we know as Dalits) become Jains, they get OBC status.

Jain Law

At present, Hindu law is applied to Jains. We should demand for Jain Law for Jains. Sikhs and Buddhists have already demanded for separate laws for them. Take it seriously, or we will have to face problems like we are facing in minority issue right now.

Also read: States where Jains are declared as Religious Minor...

Jain Minority: Certificates to Prove Religious Identity

TOI

NEW DELHI: People belonging to minority groups, including Muslims, Jains and Sikh, will now need a certificate to prove their religious identity if they want to avail government policies meant for them. To curb misuse of policies, particularly those involving loans and scholarships for minorities, Delhi government is working on a policy that will help it certify the bona fide of the applicant.

Revenue minister Arvinder Singh Lovely announced this in Delhi assembly in response to a series of queries raised by various MLAs on difficulties faced by applicants while availing these policies. The policies include various scholarship programmes for minority students, loan of upto Rs 3 lakh for higher studies and Dilli Swarojgar Yojana where SC/ST/Minorities/OBCs are provided loans up to Rs five lakh to help them set up a venture in Delhi.

"We are in process of making a policy that will help members of the minority community establish their identity on paper to avail facilities like loan, etc as bank work cannot be done without papers. It has already been discussed with chief minister Sheila Dikshit," said Lovely.

Earlier, during the discussion, power minister Haroon Yusuf suggested that a board or any other competent authority be set up by the revenue department to issue certificates to minorities.

Yusuf's suggestion came on social welfare minister Kiran Walia's statement saying that her department as of now follows the guidelines of Delhi Minorities Commission to ascertain a claim. "For Muslims, we were told that certificates are being issued by the Fatehpuri mosque to be used for claims. For other minorities, a similar certificate can be procured from their respective religious authorities," she said.

Sources said initially the government had suggested to rope in the area MLA for the process, but it was not considered feasible as only an executive is authorized to issue a certificate on behalf of the government.

"A few meetings have already been convened with senior officers of revenue department to work out a plan," said a senior government official.