Eleventh Plan examines the issue of poverty and development by social group at great length. It looks explicitly at the economic, social, legal and other issues pertaining to development of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Minorities, and Other Vulnerable Groups.

CONDITION OF MINORITIES

In sociology minorities are defined in different ways. Theoretically, the term carries the notion of being outside the mainstream or power. Commonly in India minorities are defined demographically as religious and linguistic minorities. However, in political sociology as well as in development discourse, most often minorities are referred to the Muslims. The reason is that for various historical reasons in contemporary India Muslims have been lagging behind. This was not always the case. Other religious minorities such as Jains and Sikhs are quite prosperous.

Box 2.4 shows the condition of Muslims in India . It clearly exhibits that the condition of minorities is not good and this may be one reason why they often tend to fall back on tradition and communitarian ideologies and resist modernization. There is a need to uplift them and bring them at par with the majority. At the same time, as said earlier, it has to be emphasised that the Muslims do not constitute a monolithic community. Among them, are the rich and poor, educated and uneducated, modern and traditional, and highly Westernized and highly alienated. Thus they too require a differentiated approach to solve the socio-economic and demographic problems.