Samajwadi Secular Front to the AIMIM...........

From Seemanchal to Nalanda, a Muslim lag in development

From the grand alliance to the Samajwadi Secular Front to the AIMIM, a string of political formations may have staked their fortunes on the 16.8 per cent Muslim population of Bihar but more than five years after the Sachar Committee report, the 68th round of the NSSO (National Sample Survey Organisation) survey showed that in 2011-12 Bihar’s Muslims lagged behind on all development indices, including in districts of the Seemanchal region where their numbers are high. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s district of Nalanda bucks that trend for some of the parameters.

Kishanganj, which according to the recently released data of the religious census 2011 has a 67.98% Muslim population, has an economic index, educational index, material well-being index and health index of 0.49, 0.55, 0.54 and 0.23 respectively for people of the general category. For Muslims, these figures are 0.32, 0.15, 0.10 and 0.24 respectively.

The indices have been drawn up based on a set of criteria with a higher index standing for greater development. Economic index takes into account criteria such as monthly per capita income, salaried households etc. Material well-being index takes into account household assets, availability or otherwise of LPG and electricity and other amenities. Education index takes into account female literacy, adult literacy, expenditure on education and other such criteria. Health index is based on the availability of healthcare for married women and their children, immunisation, antenatal care etc.

In Araria, where Muslims make up 42 per cent of the population, their economic index, educational index, material well-being index and health index stand at 0.35, 0.19, 0.08 and 0.10 respectively against general category scores of 0.17 for economic index and 0. 24 for health index. Data for the other two scores was not available for the general category.

In Purnia where the community makes up 38.46 per cent of the population, its economic index, educational index, material well-being index and health index are 0.10, 0.22, 0.01 and 0.17. For the general population these same indices are dramatically better, at 0.36, 0.43, 0.18 and 0.31 respectively.

The story is the same for the 44.47 per cent Muslim population of Katihar. Their economic index, educational index, material well-being index and health index are 0.17, 0.22, 0.01 and 0.19. The unreserved (other then SC/SC/OBC) general category population stands at 0.47, 0.47, 0.58 and 0.39. In many assembly seats of these districts such as Forbesganj, Raniganj, Baisi and Amour, the sitting MLAs are from the BJP which won the seats when it was in alliance with JD(U).

In Nitish’s home district of Nalanda — the chief minister is a member of the Legislative Council, the upper House — the trend is somewhat different.

The economic index, educational index, material well-being index and health index for the general population in Nalanda district are 0.22, 0.29, 0.24 and 0.42 respectively. For Muslims who make up just 6.88 per cent of the population here, the figures stand at 0.07, 0.31, 0.30 and 0.30 respectively. This means while the community has better access to education facilities, in terms of access to health and economic prosperity it remains backward.

The NSSO findings on the development lag of Bihar’s Muslims mirrors concerns expressed by the Sachar Committee on the backwardness of Indian Muslims in its report submitted in 2005. This has been in spite of the fact that the community has been crucial for any ruling party or combine in Bihar with Lalu Prasad deriving his political clout from his ability to consolidate Muslim and Yadav votes and Nitish eyeing the backing of the community in walking out of the NDA over the anointment of Narendra Modi as PM candidate in the Lok Sabha elections.