[Geog-India/Census/Pop] Minorities in India

Minorities in India:

·        Total six minorities in National Commission for Minorities Act 1992

·        Population wise ranking: (1) Muslims > (2) Christians > (3) Sikhs > (4) Buddhists > (5) Jains > (6) Parsi

·        NSSO Per capita Expenditure wise: Sikhs > Christians > Muslims > remaining

·        Minorities are majorities in certain regions for example:

Minorities	Forms majority in
Muslims	1) Lakshadweep
	2) Jammu & Kashmir
Christians	1) Nagaland
	2) Mizoram
	3) Meghalaya
Sikhs	1) Punjab

 Minority status for Jains:

·        6th and latest name to be added in central list of minorities. (2014)

·        Although 11 states had already given them minority status- Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan etc.

What Benefits will Jains get?

Ø     Government cannot interfere in their educational institutions, temples and trusts.

Ø     They can evict tenants from their community properties. Tenant cannot seek relief under Rent control laws.

Ø     Eligible for Government schemes for scholarships, fellowships, free coaching for competitive exams etc

Ø     Bank loans given to Jains will be counted under Priority sector lending (PSL) targets.

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 Sunni and Shia Muslims:

Sunni	Shia
They chose Abu Bakr, a close Companion of Prophet Muhammad, as the Caliph (politico-social leader) of Muslim Community	They wanted Prophet Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali to be appointed as Caliph
Mughals were Sunni Muslims; Majority of Indian Muslims are Sunni	India ahs second largest population of Shia after Iran; Gujarat’s Dawoodi Bohar and Part of Varanasi’s weavers are shia Muslims; [by and large Shia leaders support/have soft corner for Modi – Indian Express]
Saudi, Bahrain, Turkey, Qatar’s ruling regime	Iran and Syria’s ruling regime
Iraq’s ISIS Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood	Lebanon’s Hezbollah

[NEW] USTAAD

·        Up gradation of Traditional Skills in Arts, Resources and Goods.

·        Will provide skill Development, marketing linkages and support to minority artisans.

Some examples of Minority arts/handicraft:

ü      Muslims: Zardozi Embroidery of Lucknow- given GI tag in 2013. Zardosi is a Persian word for embroidery in gold.

ü      Sikh: Phulkari embroidery.

ü      Buddhists: Thangka paintings

Other [announcements]

Hamari Darohar	To preserve rich heritage of minority Indian culture
Nai Manzil	To give skill training Madrasa passouts, to help them find jobs/business in mainstream
Khwaza Garib Nawaz	Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) will set  up this secondary school at Ajmer

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