Minorities Rights Day Observed in Manipur

Minorities Rights Day Observed in Manipur

Written by

DR. SYED AHMED

Published on

July 21, 2022

Manipur State Minorities Commission (MSMC) organised a daylong programme at the historic Gandhi Memorial Hall in the heart of Imphal city, to mark Minorities Rights Day, on December 18. P.C Lawmkunga IAS, Principal Secretary, Minorities & Other Backward Classes (MOBCs) Department, Th. Oliver Monsang, Administrator, Indira Gandhi Tribal University, Regional Campus (Imphal) and Justice Kamini Kumar, OBC Commission, graced the function as Chief Guest, Guest of Honour and Special Guest of Honour respectively. M.A. Halim Chowdhury, IAS (Retd.), the Chairperson of the MSMC presided over the function. The function, started just after the Friday Prayers, was attended by more than 500 people representing various minority communities of the state. Members of various minority organisations like All Manipur Meitei-Pangal (Manipuri Muslims) Association, All Manipur Minorities Forum and All Manipur Meitei Christians Forum also took part in the function.

Besides the dignitaries, representatives of various minority communities also made speeches addressing the issues of their respective communities. Many of the speakers reiterated the declaration of the United Nations on December 18, 1992 which delineates the rights of persons belonging to the various national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities: “States shall protect the existence of the National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for their promotion of that identity.”

Some of the speakers also highlighted the rights of the minorities mentioned in the Constitution of India for the protection of their identity, language, script and culture, and institution and management of their educational institutions.

P.C Lawmkunga mentioned in his speech that six districts (Thoubal, Senapati, Chandel, Ukhrul, Churachanpur and Tamenglong) of Manipur have been selected by the Central Government for implementing the Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP). The programme includes building school infrastructure like hostels, housing, sanitation, water-supply, etc. So the minority communities can approach their District Commissioners to enquire about the schemes, he added.

Halim Chowdhury requested the State Government to make the Commission a statutory body. He also announced that the Commission has recently been provided with some funds to take up awareness programmes. Chowdhury also mentioned some of the recommendations the Commission had made to the State Government. One of the recommendations, he mentioned, was the representation of an officer from the minority communities in the recruitment boards for government services.

The introduction of the function was given by M.A. Salam, MCS, Deputy Secretary (MOBC), while the keynote address was made by Md. Raheijuddin Sheikh, Secretary of MSMC.

To make the minorities aware about the various schemes taken up by the Central and State Governments, two booklets were released. The first booklet, Choukhat Meikheida (On the Direction of Development) is the Manipuri transcription of the PM’s 15-Point Programme and the Right to Information Act. The second booklet consists of the guidelines of schemes taken up by the MOBC Department. MSMC also released an annual report titled, Annual Report and Recommendations 2009-10. As per the annual report some of the achievements of MSMC along with the recommendations made by the Commission to government authorities are:

  • Establishment of IGNOU Special Study Centre at Lilong Haoreibi College. The college is situated in the highly Muslim concentrated area of Lilong.
  • MSMC in collaboration with Federation of Madrasas, Manipur organised a seminar-cum-workshop on the theme “Setting up of Madrasa Board and Madrasa Modernisation.” The Commission made the following recommendations to the state government: 1) It is necessary to set up Manipur State Madrasa Board for bringing up the qualities of madrasa education in Manipur, 2) The process of modernising madrasa education in Manipur is to be expatiated as per the rules enshrined in the PM’s 15-Point Programme, 3) Any sorts of sanction accorded for modernising madrasa education in Manipur must be utilised in the proper manner so as to reach the concerned madrasa authorities.
  • Extension of Mid-Day Meal Scheme to the madrasa students.
  • Providing sanitation and drinking water for the madrasas for girls.
  • Including Meitei-Christian beneficiaries in the Economic Development Schemes taken up by the MOBC Department.
  • The Commission visited some of the interior Muslim villages and informed the public about the developmental schemes taken up by the MOBC Department. The Commission also visited some communally sensitive villages.
  • Manipur University has been urged to do away with the cut-off marks for the minority candidates in the admission to various courses.

The audience was entertained by the performance of Qawwali by a group of Muslim artists led by veteran singer Mohd. Rahim. Interestingly, the Qawwali, sung in Manipuri, was based on the PM’s 15-Point Programme. A short documentary film highlighting the achievements of MSMC was also shown to the audience at the end of the programme.

MSMC was constituted by an executive order of the state government on February 20, 2004. The Commission is still a non-statutory body. The Commission functions with a Chairperson and a Secretary. The State Commission has been given the power to:

  • To evaluate the working of the various safeguards provided in the Constitution and in the laws passed by the State legislature.
  • To make recommendations with a view to ensuring effective implementation and enforcement of all the safeguards.
  • To undertake a review of the implementation of policies and schemes of the State Government with respect to minorities.
  • To conduct studies, research and analysis on the question of avoidance of discrimination against minorities.
  • To suggest to the State Government appropriate legal and welfare measures in respect of minorities.
  • To study any other matter which the Commission considers is important from the point of view of the welfare and development of minorities, and thereby make appropriate recommendations.
  • To undertake a review of the implementation of the PM’s 15-Point Programme.
  • To consider the grievances of the minorities and suggest appropriate solution from time to time.
  • To make periodical reports to the State Government at prescribed intervals, etc.

In Manipur, minority communities constitute 43% of the total population. Christians are the largest minority community (34%), followed by Muslims (8.8%), Sikhs (0.1%) and Buddhists (0.1%).