Nearly 60 per cent of Muslims residing in urban and rural areas of Maharashtra live below poverty line (BPL), according to Mehmoodur-Rehman Committee on minorities that submitted its report to the state government.
The committee also suggested prohibition of 'arbitrary' talaq (divorce) and making alimony compulsory to the divorced woman. It has asked the government to encourage reforms within the Muslim community.
The committee of social scientists headed by retired civil servant Dr Rehman, formed five years ago to study the educational, social and economic backwardness of Maharashtra’s Muslim population, stated that 59.4 per cent Muslims in urban areas and 59.8% of rural population fell in the BPL category, while 25 per cent of them live barely above the Below Poverty Line mark.
According to the committee’s findings, more than 70% Muslims living in urban areas face problems in housing, while those in rural areas do not have satisfactory access to poverty alleviation programmes.
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