As the processes of economic development unfold, pressures are likely to build up and intensify when there is unequal development and some groups or minorities such as the Muslims, lag behind in the development process. Ideally, development processes should remove or reduce economic and social obstacles to cooperation and mutual respect among all groups in the country. If development processes are misdirected, they may unfortunately have the opposite effect. It is this aspect which is important and needs to be addressed so as to give confidence to minorities including the Muslims.
Since Independence, India has achieved significant economic growth, social development, reduced poverty and improved crucial human development parameters such as levels of literacy, education, nutrition and health. There are indications that not all religious community and social groups (socio-religious communities - SRCs) have shared equally the benefits of the growth process. Among these, the Muslims, the largest minority community in the country, constituting about 14 per cent of the population, appears to be deprived in practically all aspects of quality of life. The conditions of other minorities however are better often better than the average Indian population.
While the perception of deprivation is widespread amongst the Muslims, there were no systematic efforts since Independence to measure and assess their conditions. The need to analyse the socio-economic and educational conditions of different SRCs is essential, yet until recently appropriate data were not generated by Government agencies. A welcome change in the scope of data collection with respect to SRCs has begun during the late 1990s and the 2001 Census. The report is unique and first of its kind that contains evidenced based research and relative measurements across the SRCs with a focus on the Muslims in India.
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