This is a draft for the report on the discussions held in 2011 with the participation of leading muslim leaders, intellectuals and thought leaders .

1. Muslim Development Agenda 2011
A Charter of Demands and Concern of Religious Minorities
for the Union Budget 2011-2012
A round table on the Union Budget was organised at Hall No. India International
Centre on 22 January, 2011 was organised by NEFM in collaboration with Indian
Muslim Economic Development Agency (IMEDA) and discussed the critical issues
related to the allocation of budget with reference to the minorities especially Muslims.
Setting the context ,Dr.M.J. Khan, the President of National Economic Forum of
Muslims and Managing Trustee,Indian Muslim Economic Development Agency
(IMEDA) noted that concern of the Muslims in the budget has not got the attention
that it deserves and like other social groups and, there hardly ever been an occasion
when Muslims have been called for specific concerns of the community like some
other groups that have met the government for sharing the specific concerns on
allocation of the resource while formulating the budget. Recognising that Union
Budget making process is in the formative stage, he called for a deliberation on the
issues in order to share the same with the government. He pointed out that responses
have been sent through email for the draft of the demands that would be incorporated
with the common shared points that would emerged in the deliberations.
The demands and concerns that emerged after the deliberations on the various issues
are noted below for the government and the political parties.
Primary Education
1. There is a need to focus on education with focus on setting up institutions of
higher education in the districts, blocks in order to ensure that there are no
access deficits with regard to same. UPA government has followed up with the
Scheme for the Universalisation of Secondary Education. There is a need to
ensure that infrastructure development should ensure that all the areas
especially with dense Muslim populations in the urban areas are provided with
the institutions of learning.
2. There is a need to create a share for Muslims proportionate to the population
for setting up educational institutions by Muslims as part of public-private
partnership model.
3. It is important to allocation fund for improvement in the quality of education
through training and professional development. There is need to devote special
funds for the training and development of teachers in Madarsas that are
supported under SSA. It is important to ensure that per child average cost of
the education reaches to children studying in Madarsas.
4. In order to ensure that Muslim children feel culturally included, there is need
to allocate special fund for assessing the content in relevant text book and for
making the same culturally responsive. In this regard, Muslim led civil society
organisations should be selected following due diligence for ensuring that

2. culturally responsive content in added in order to represent the religio-cultural
diversity.
5. RTE is a welcome initiative with provision for quality education in mother
tongue
Secondary Education
UPA government’s steps for universalisation of access to secondary education
through Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) is laudable. There is a need
to enhance allocation of resource to Madrasas under SUCCESS in order to ensure
better quality education in the Madrasas and making the graduates of the Madrasas
compete well in the sectors that require the same.
Higher Education
Interest free loans for higher education should be offered for all while expanding the
access to public institutions of higher education. Higher education should be
restrictive to students coming from rural areas from the farming, artisan, small
business and landless families. If the regime of privatisation of education is promoted,
this would further strengthen exclusion of large section of society across the social
groups and therefore, there is an urgent need to have increased allocation of budget
for ensuring affordable and cheaper access to higher education.
Skill Development
For skill upgradtion and certification reasonable size of package for Muslims should
be allocated in order to bridge the gaps that exist in the demand and supply for the
skills. Policy development should include coverage of the government recognised
madarsas for augmenting the requirement of technical education in addition to
expanding the number of technical education institutions in the areas with muslim
population. .
Monitoring of the Programmes
• There is need to ensure community based monitoring of the implementation of
schemes. Currently, the reports show the statistics but there is no focus on the
impact of the implementation of the programmes. There is a need to ensure
impact oriented reporting for the utilisation of funds. At the district, state and
national level, there is a need to form a committee for augmenting and
monitoring the implementation of the programme with the participation of
community leaders and Muslim led civil society organisations.
• Monitoring for the Implementation of the National Flagship Programme
Zakat should be freed from Taxation
Muslims have to pay zakat as part of religious obligations and there are diverse rates
for the same. Sunni Muslims pay @Rs.2.5 % per annum, Shia Muslims pay @ 20% .
per annum and Islmaili Muslims pay @ 12.5% per month/ annum. These need to
freed from taxations in order to make the money available for community
development.

3. Islamic Banking
Noting the initiatives of the government for studying the Islamic Banking of
Malaysia, recognising the recommendations of the Raghuraman committee and advice
of MS Swaminathan , we demand initiation of Islamic Banking on a pilot basis with
due change in the regulations of Reserve Bank of India.
Financing for Small Enterprises:
Noting the importance of RKVY where a small grant of Rs.25,000 was used for
initiating small enterprise generating livelihood opportunities for households, there is
a need to initiate similar schemes in order to ensure that people interested in the
taking up livelihood options are
15 % Share in the Public Housing Schemes
In order to ensure that public housing scheme and ownership patterns in the housing is
inclusive following the motto of inclusive development, there is a need to ensure that
Muslims are ensured a share in the housing scheme promoting by government
agencies such as Delhi Development Authority. Currently, there is quota for disabled
and SC and ST each having a share of 5% in the all the houses. We demand that
minorities especially Muslims are ensure a share of 15% proportionate to their
population. This would build cohesive urban spaces current share of Muslims in the
public housing schemes is negligible. If Muslims do not get judicious share in the
public housing schemes in the urban, all the claims of inclusive development would
be false and government would be perpetuating injustice. This is the best way to
ensure that Development is inclusive and the
Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP)
Currently there is no guideline issued for the minorities. There is a guideline for
spending 15% of the allocation for Muslims but the expenditure is not more than 7%
on the Muslims. There is need to ensure that spending on the allocation is ensured for
bridging the gaps in the indicators of development across the social groups especially
Muslims. It is important to ensure engagement of PRIs and civil society organisation
and community leaders who have been sensitive to the issues of community
development. Inclusive processes and practices need to be part of participatory
governance across the districts, blocks and panchayats
Muslim Minority Districts
There is need to ensure more coverage for the Muslim concentrated districts under the
Prime Ministers 15 point programme. If the current criteria of 25% population are
reduced to 15% than there would be 152 districts that would be covered under the
Muslim Concentration districts. There is a need to increase allocation for Muslims.
Social Inclusion Audit, Diversity monitoring across the public and private sector
organisations
Reporting on Social Inclusion with reference to the share of Muslims and minorities
following the overall share of communities in the population
Institutional Growth

4. • Increase grants to Madarssa through Board and encourage formation of
Madarsa Education Board at the national and state level:
• It is important to support institutional development through increasing the
grant share for Maulana Azad Education Foundation in order to make the
financing for institutional development interest free .This could be used by
Madrassas willing to add additional classrooms, equipments and assets
required for diversification in the teaching of disciplines and making
educational infrastructure qualitatively better.
• It has been found that utilisation rate of the grants of Maulana Azad
Foundation is very high. Out of 650 grantees, only 15 were found defaulting
and notice were sent to 6 for recovery of the amount. Considering such a
successful utilisation of the grants by Maualana Azad Foundation , there is
need to increase the corpus fund for the foundation. This should increase to the
tune of 5000 crores considering the utilisation pattern of the grants of Maulana
Azad Educational Foundation.
• Softening the rigor for approval of the institutions for secondary education and
higher education. There is a need to involve Muslim led civil society
organisations in the process of approval, accreditation and
Minority Finance Development Corporation
• There are several states that have not formed the counterpart organisations of
national Minority Finance Development Corporations.
• Capital share for the MFDC needs to be increased and its outreach extended to
district and block level. Application process should be made easier in order to
enable small scale entrepreneurs to apply for financing of their enterprises.
• There are conditions for the getting guarantees from the government officials
and that is indeed difficult for many applicants. Such hurdles need to be
removed from the application procedures.
Awqaf( Muslim Endowments)
• The awqaf is an important source of poverty reduction of Muslim and this
needs to be used for the purpose. In this regard, it was pointed out more than
10000 crores worth of funding could be available if the proceeds from the use
of Waqf properties were collected properly and encroachments both public
and private were removed in order to ensure that endowment properties are
used as per the will of those who made these endowments spread all over the
country. In order to ensure that proceeds from the Awqaf are used
properly and develop the properties of Awqaf, a National Waqf
Development Council should be formed using the best business practices.
• There is a critical need to liberate all the encroachments on the Waqf property
or ensure that rents are collected at the market rate for benefitting the poorest
among the Muslims and building institutions for the extending supporting the
cause of poverty reduction as per the will of those who endowed the property
following the provisions of Islamic Sharia.
Haj Corporation of India
Every year there are considerable number of Muslims who are travelling to Mecca
and Madina for the purpose of Umra and Haj that is currently managed by Hajj
Committees in India. It is suggested that formation of a Hajj Corporation of India

5. would serve the interest of the pilgrims better and this should be formed in order to
generate cost efficient and quality service for the travellers.
Awareness on the National Flagship Programmes and others
There is a need to create community based mechanisms for disseminating the
information about the national flagship programmes and others as it is due to the
absence of awareness about the schemes that there are deficits in accessing the
national flagship programmes.
Draft: Muhammad Mukhtar Alam,Ph.D

6. would serve the interest of the pilgrims better and this should be formed in order to
generate cost efficient and quality service for the travellers.
Awareness on the National Flagship Programmes and others
There is a need to create community based mechanisms for disseminating the
information about the national flagship programmes and others as it is due to the
absence of awareness about the schemes that there are deficits in accessing the
national flagship programmes.
Draft: Muhammad Mukhtar Alam,Ph.D