BOX 2.4 : CONDITION OF MUSLIMS

(From the Eleventh Five Year Plan)

Muslims have the highest rate of stunting and second-highest rate of underweight children.

•  25% Muslim children in the 6–14 years of age group have either never attended school or have dropped out.

•  Only one out of every 25 undergraduate and 50 postgraduate students in premier colleges is a Muslim.

•  NCAER figures show that only about 4% of all Muslim students are enrolled in madarsas.

•  Workforce participation rate among Muslim women is only 25%. In rural areas, 29% of Muslim women participate in the workforce as compared to 70% of Hindu women.

•  61% of the total Muslim workers are self-employed as against 55% of Hindu workers. 73% of Muslim women are self employed as compared to 60% for Hindus.

•  Only about 27% of the Muslim workers in urban areas are engaged in regular work as compared to 40% SC/ST, 36% OBC and 49% Hindu upper caste workers.

•  Less than 24% of Muslim regular workers are employed in the public sector or in government jobs as compared to 39% regular SC/ST workers, 37% Hindu upper caste and 30% OBC workers.

•  The share of Muslim male workers engaged in street vending (especially without any fixed location) is 12% as against the national average of less than 8%.

•  The share of Muslims in Public Order and Safety Activities at the Central Government level is only about 6%. Hindu upper caste workers have a share of 42% and both SCs/STs and OBCs have 23% share each.

•  The share of Muslims among defence workers is only 4%.

•  Compared to other regular workers, a much larger proportion of Muslim regular workers have no written contract (73%, against 52% for Hindu upper caste and 63% each for Hindu-OBCs and SCs/STs) and no social security benefit (71% as against the national average of 55%).