Muslims in J&K continue to get benefits for minorities

Muslims, though forming a major chunk of the population in Jammu and Kashmir government, would continue to get benefits of the central schemes, including the prime minister's 15 points programme, meant exclusively for minority communities.

"These benefits essentially flow out of schemes/ programmes formulated by the central government for the benefits of centrally notified 'minorities' which in turn are implemented by different central ministries of the state government," the Jammu and Kashmir government told the Supreme Court.

In an affidavit, the government refrained from giving any deadline for setting up  a state minority commission.

"The state government will consider and examine the need and feasibility of setting up state minority commission at the relevant point of time as and when the need arises based on the critical study of the social and educational backwardness of the minorities spread across various regions of the state," the government stated.  

The PDP-BJP government's response was filed  to a PIL by Jammu-based advocate Ankur Sharma, who  claimed that benefits accruing to minorities were being taken away by Muslims, who were in a majority in the state.

He sought a direction for setting up the state minority commission for identification of minorities. It termed the contention of petitioner as "totally misplaced".

The state government,  on its part, maintained that the benefits of the central schemes are provided to six nationally notified minority communities   - Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains - irrespective of the fact whether a particular community is in majority in a state or Union Territory.